


Ninety Years Running, Three Days Gone

by TexMexTwins



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Kinda, Sickfic, Slow Burn, Some angst, barry works in an apothecary, kind of, set when taako and lup are traveling cooks working for caravans, taako gets sick and lup doesnt know what to do
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-11
Updated: 2017-10-11
Packaged: 2018-12-13 22:08:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 31,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11769378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TexMexTwins/pseuds/TexMexTwins
Summary: "Taako starts to cough. It’s soft at first, the sound muffled by his sleeve, and he waves off the questioning glances Lup flashes him as they prep dinner for that night. By the end of the meal, he’s out of breath, and Lup feels dread pool in her stomach. She knows that if the wagon-driver finds out, they'll be thrown out onto the street without a second glance. She doesn't know what to do."There's a sickness going around, a fever that can kill within a few weeks if left untreated. Taako falls ill, and Lup knows there's not enough money to get him the treatment he needs. Luckily for them, a kind apothecary's assistant is willing to help them out.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I came up with this idea at work the other day and couldn't get it out of my head, so here we are. I really love Lup and Barry's dynamic and wanted to put them in a tense situation lol. Hope you enjoy!

Lup sits in the back of a moving wagon, one leg hanging precariously off the back of the wooden platform. She’s filing her nails with a file she’d conned off someone in a neighboring wagon, lifting one hand up to inspect them before moving on to her other hand. Across from her is Taako, whose head is buried in an old book propped up with one hand while his other hand conjures small fires and breezes to tinker with. Lup glances to the side, out of the wagon, and stares for a moment at the line of matching wagons following dutifully behind.

This wasn’t the first caravan they’d been on. Far from it. Lup had lost count of how many rides they’d hitched on caravans just like this over the years they’d been homeless, but the sight of those ever-present wagons held a strange sort of familiarity to her now. They’d made their living cooking for caravans just like these, if this could be considered a living at all. It felt like they were always scraping by the skin of their teeth, always stretching to make ends meet.

“Lup, you’re spacing.”

Lup blinks and turns to face her brother. She hums inquisitively. “Did you say something?”

“I asked what you wanted to do when we reach town in a few days. We’ve been on the road for a while, but we’ll only have a few hours to wander,” Taako explains. “We should make a list of things we need to pick up.”

Lup sighs. Shopping was always a depressing matter, and reminded her of just how poor the two of them were. She runs down the meager list of her belongings in her mind. “We’ll be needing more soap, and I could go for a new pair of shoes,” she says, lifting her foot. She’s worn a hole through the thin sole of her shoe, and her toe pokes out of it. She wiggles it with a grin. “Maybe some sanitizer, if we can get out hands on some. I’ve heard a nasty fever is going around this time of year, and I’m not keen on catching that.”

“Well, we’ll see when we get there,” Taako says, which Lup knows is code for, “Not enough money”.

She leans her head back against the wall with a frown. “There’s never enough cash to go around,” she mutters. “My poor feet are gonna be mangled by the time I’ve saved up enough for a hole-less shoe.”

Taako rolls his eyes. “Don’t complain,” he chides. “All it does is make me hate you a little more. This is still better than foster care, though, wouldn’t you agree?”

Lup laughs. “Yeah, definitely.”

That evening, Taako starts to cough. It’s soft at first, the sound muffled by his sleeve, and he waves off the questioning glances Lup flashes him as they prep dinner for that night. By the end of the meal, he’s out of breath, and Lup feels dread pool in her stomach. “You okay, bro?” she asks as they get ready for bed that night. “You sound ghastly.”

“I inhaled some dust in the kitchen, that’s all,” Taako assures her, but the croakiness of his voice suggests otherwise.

Lup just shakes her head with a sigh. If he wanted to be stoic, fine, as long as he was well enough for breakfast the next morning.

The next morning, however, found Taako shivering in bed, underneath two blankets when he would normally use only one. Lup climbs down from her bunk above Taako and immediately knows that this is worse than he had previously let on. He’s paler than usual, but his face is flushed pink. Chills wrack his slender frame and as he climbs out of bed, he drags his blankets with him. Lup pushes him back down and informs him that she’ll be handling breakfast herself.

All things considered, breakfast runs smoothly. It’s odd, cooking without her partner present, but she makes do, working double-time to get the meal out on time. It’s not her best work, by any means, but the ruffians of her caravan don’t know the difference between average and exceptional. They just care that they’re getting fed. A few people ask after Taako, but most are uninterested in the two of them. Lup tells those that are that he’s cleaning up, praying that this would pass quickly.

That night, Taako is worse than before, and people have started to notice his absence. The travellers aren’t keen on picking up sick hitch-hikers, too afraid of catching their disease and spreading it to those they can’t leave behind. Lup talks her way around the issue with an expertise she’s learned over countless years of swindling, but she knows if they find out just how sick Taako is, they’ll be thrown out on the street without a backward glance. She steels herself for the ride ahead and adopts her ever-successful fake-it-till-you-make-it strategy, and dives head-first into her work.

This lasts for all of half a day before someone rats her out to the wagon-driver. He takes one look at the bedridden Taako and tells them not to come back when they reach town. Lup fumes and holds herself back from screaming at him, knowing this won’t do any good, and hastily packs up her and Taako’s belongings into a few small bags. As soon as the wagons reach town, they disappear into the crowds. Taako doesn’t have to ask why.

Taako can still walk, thankfully, but he’s glassy-eyed and shaky. The hand that Lup holds to guide them through the busy city streets is slick with sweat and clammy when it would usually be warmer than hers, and it makes her worry. They’d gotten sick before, but usually it could be shaken off in a few days. Taako only seems to be worsening with time.

She ducks into a lit back alley, and only then does she slow down to check on her brother. She sits him down against the brick wall of a building and wraps the stolen blanket tighter around his shoulders. “You still with me, bro?” she asks, reaching out to feel his forehead for a temperature. He’s burning, and she flinches back.

“Still here,” Taako replies, fingers clutching the blanket tightly. He’s shivering despite the mild weather, which Lup takes as a bad sign. Biting her lip, she runs through her options. Sleeping on the streets was not an option if Taako was ever to recover, but the small amounts of money they had stashed away wouldn’t go far.

Sighing, Lup stands up, grasping Taako’s hands to help him stand. “C’mon, we’re going to a hotel,” she says. Taako blinks, fighting off sleep, and nods as he lets Lup hoist him back on his feet. He’s weak, though, and as he moves to take a step, he stumbles, and Lup has to catch him before he falls. She curses softly under her breath as she turns around and lifts Taako onto her back in one fluid motion, thanking her lucky stars that he’s so slender. She turns to go back the way they came, but finds her way blocked by a man.

He’s shorter than her, just slightly, but broader and, Lup figures, probably stronger. He looks surprised, his eyes flicking between her and her brother, and Lup tenses. “Out of the way,” she calls. “I don’t have time for this.”

The man doesn’t make a move to leave the alley. He seems oddly nonchalant despite his situation. “You aren’t from around here,” he says, and Lup scoffs.

“What tipped you off, stupid?” she replies snarkily. “Look, I’m kind of on a time crunch, so if you could just turn around and pretend this never happened, I’d really appreciate it.”

Again the man stands still. He’s confusing to Lup, who expected him to either approach them or leave like she asked. He just stands there and eyes them over. “Your friend looks pretty sick. He won’t last much longer without medicine,” he says.

Lup grits her teeth, feeling suddenly defensive. “Shut up! What do you want from us?” she demands.

The man holds up his hands in a placating gesture. “I just want to help,” he says slowly, and maintains eye contact with Lup despite her icy glare. His gaze flicks to Taako. “Is he your brother? You look very alike.” When Lup doesn’t answer, he adds, “I’m not gonna make you do anything, but if you want to help him, then follow me.”

With that, the man takes a step towards them, then another step. He keeps his hands up as he walks past him, and Lup lets him. This guys is certainly nosy, but he doesn’t seem dangerous. When he’s past them, he breaks eye contact with Lup and begins to walk towards the other end of the alleyway. “Coming?” he calls, pausing to glance behind him.

Lup hesitates. The way she sees it, she has two options. Go along with this stranger and see if his claims of being able to help were true, or turn and run. Strangers were dangerous, unpredictable. Someone who previously appeared trustworthy could turn on her in an instant, but she also knows that what this man says is true. Taako is fading, and fast, and there’s not enough money to pay for a proper doctor. He’ll die without medicine. On her back, Taako is unconscious, his ragged breath tickling her neck. Throwing caution to the wind, she decides that a small chance was better than no chance, and starts to trudge after the stranger.

The man smiles at her softly, and she glares back at him, making it clear that this does not make her friendly towards him. He walks in front of her, giving her ample space to leave if she needs to, and Lup appreciates the gesture. It relieves her anxiety about this whole situation, if only a little bit. She remains on edge, eyes flicking around and memorizing the streets in case she needs to make a hasty getaway. Bitterly, she thinks that she won’t be able to run very fast with Taako on her back. “Where are you taking us?” she asks, voice still hostile but not so threatening. “Who the hell are you, anyway?”

“Name’s Barry,” he answers, “and I’m taking you back to my place. I have some medicine stored up there. Something to bring down your brother’s fever and help him get his strength back.” He doesn’t look at her as he says this, keeping his gaze straight ahead. Lup relaxes a little. He answers her questions truthfully, without mincing his words, and he doesn’t ask any questions in return. Honestly is good, and Lup has become pretty talented at telling the liars from the genuine.

Lup falls silent as Barry leads her though back alleys and alongside crowds of people. Hardly anyone gives them a second glance, but Barry avoids crowd-weaving to make it easier for her to keep up. He rounds a corner onto a more residential street and stops in front of a house, reaching into his pocket to fish out a key.

The house is small and old-looking, but it’s sturdy. The tan paint is peeling in places, revealing the natural wood underneath, and the door creaks as Barry pushes it open. He offers her a smile and holds the door so she can follow him through, and after a moment’s hesitation, she obliges.

The inside of the house is more well kept than the outside. The paint looks newer in here, though the wood is just as old, and the floor plan is fairly open. Taking a quick glance around, Lup sees a small sitting area beside a kitchen and dining room. Three doors line the far wall, all tucked in a nice little row. Lup itches to turn and run, but Taako’s weight on her back reminds her that this is her best option, so she bites her tongue and takes a few steps inside.

“Bring him in here,” Barry advises, leading Lup to one of the far doors. He cracks it open to reveal a tidy bedroom. It’s furnished, but it looks as though no one lives in it, everything tidy and neat and undisturbed. He comes up beside Lup and reaches out to touch Taako, then pauses. “Do you mind if I-” he starts, hands hovering shy of actually touching him.

After a second, Lup nods, and Barry helps her lay Taako down in the bed. Lup sighs and rolls her shoulders, sitting herself on the edge of the bed beside her brother. Taako is still flushed and sweaty, his breathing more shallow than she would have preferred, but he’s alive, and at this moment, it’s good enough. She reaches out a pushes the damp hair from his face as Barry pulls extra blankets from a closet across the room, setting them on the edge of the bed. Lup watches intently as he reaches out and grasps Taako’s wrist, feeling for his heartbeat and taking his temperature. “His fever’s pretty high, but as long as we keep the room cool and get him some medicine, he should be okay,” Barry says. “You’re lucky I found you when I did, miss, or this could’ve ended up a lot worse.”

“Lup,” she interrupts, and Barry halts for a moment, looking at her quizzically. “My name is Lup,” she says again. “Miss is too formal.”

Barry chuckles, nodding. “Lup, then. When was the last time you two ate, Lup?”

“This morning,” she says softly.

Barry shakes his head. “It’ll be dark soon. That’s too long to go without eating when you’re this sick. Besides, I can’t give him anything on an empty stomach. Stay here, I have some leftover soup in the kitchen.” He turns and leaves the room, the door swinging shut behind him.

To Lup, Barry is an enigma. He has no sense of caution or self-preservation, and he’s far too trusting to her. He’s not suspicious of her at all, and doesn’t ask her any questions, doesn’t dig for information. He doesn’t pity either her or Taako, and he speaks to them like equals despite obviously being more well off. Lup shakes her head and runs her fingers through Taako’s hair, weaving the beginning of a small braid into it. He remains asleep, the blanket covering him gently rising and falling with his breathing.

Barry returns after a few minutes with a bowl on a tray in his hands, and he hands it over to Lup. “He’ll have to be fed until he’s lucid enough to eat by himself,” he says. “I figured you’d be more comfortable if you were the one doing it.” He smiles at her gently, and Lup grasps the bowl with both hands, feeling the warm glass under her fingers. Barry adds, “You can meet me in the kitchen when you’re finished.”

Lup doesn’t know what she should say, so she just nods, and Barry leaves them alone again. She picks up the spoon and examines the soup suspiciously. It looks standard, a meat-based broth with chunks of vegetables floating in it, but looks can be deceiving. She doesn’t think Barry would have any reason to compromise the food, but she samples it anyway. Better safe than sorry. It’s fairly bland and flavorless for the most part, but not inedible, and Lup doesn’t feel any reaction from eating it, so she sets it on the table.

She reaches out and gently shakes Taako’s shoulder, helping him to sit up. “Hey, sleeping beauty, wake up for a minute, will ya?” she murmurs.

Taako grumbles something incoherent and blinks open his eyes slightly, looking disoriented and confused. “Lup? Where are we?” he asks.

“Hotel,” Lup replies, and shoves the spoon in his mouth before he can say something else. “Save your breath and eat, it’ll help you get better.”

Taako makes a face but does as he’s told. He keeps his complaining to a minimum while Lup feeds him, and once he’s halfway through the bowl, he starts to nod off again.

Lup lets out a long breath. “You’re not gonna be any fun for a while,” she mutters, but he’s already asleep again, his head lolling backwards against the pillows. She sighs and tucks the blankets around his shoulders, gathering up the tray and utensils and standing up. She still feels tense and antsy being in a stranger’s house, but she sucks it up, pushing the door open slowly and peeking out. Barry’s sitting at the main kitchen table reading a book, and as she steps into the main area of his home he looks up and smiles that gentle smile.

“All finished?” He says, standing up. He walks over to her and takes the tray, setting the dirty dishes in the sink while Lup watches him. “Have a seat, and let’s get some food in ya.”

It’s a proposition, more than anything. Barry doesn’t force her to do anything she doesn’t want to do, and Lup appreciates his approach. She doesn’t feel as though she’s in danger from him anymore, but she remains on edge, examining the knickknacks on his shelf as she walks slowly over to the table. She sits down silently, crossing and uncrossing her fingers restlessly.

Barry comes in a second later with two more bowls of the same soup, setting one down in front of himself and sliding the other in her direction. There’s a spoon already in it, and she pokes around in the bowl again before finally taking a bite. It tastes the same, if a bit cold, its bland flavors and soft vegetables making for an edible if not entirely appetizing meal. Lup doesn’t complain. A meal is a meal, and it would be stupid of her to turn it away. That doesn’t stop her from cupping the bowl in both hands and casting a quick heat spell, though. Her palms quickly heat the soup from outside until it’s steaming again.

Barry sets down his spoon when he sees her do this, blinking in surprise as steam wafts from her bowl. “Are you a wizard?” he asks, and he looks excited.

Lup blinks up at him, then nods. “We both are,” she says. Barry’s intrigue is a bit off-putting; is magic really so impressive to him? The spell she’d cast was low-level, not nearly as powerful as her strongest spells.

Barry grins from ear to ear, excitement practically radiating from him. “Evocation, right? I’ve always loved studying magic, and I can cast a few practical cantrips, but I’ve never been able to hire a proper tutor. Where did you learn from?”

“We learned from anyone who would teach us,” Lup answers, picking her words carefully. “Traveling wizards and sorcerers, usually. Once we had the basics, we kinda just… taught ourselves.” She watches Barry carefully, quizzically. He’s being genuine, that much she can tell just by listening to him. When you grow up dealing with the worst of people, you learn how to discern the truth from the bullshit, and Barry has approached her with nothing but truthful interest. “Why are you doing this?” She asks.

Barry smiles, but this time, there’s a hint of sadness behind it. “Is it really so hard to believe that I want to help?” he says. “Call me soft and stupid, but I couldn’t walk by knowing there was something I could do.”

“I could have killed you. I would have been easy,” Lup presses. “The moment you approached us, I could have burned you up with my magic so quickly you wouldn’t be able to get a word in edgewise.” She scrutinizes Barry’s expression, but he doesn’t flinch at her threat.

“You could have,” he agrees, “but you didn’t, because you’re not a bad person. You’re not a murderer, or a thief, or a lowlife, are you?”

Lup freezes, staring at Barry across the table for a few seconds. “I’m not,” she says at last, her hands gripped tightly together, “but I could have been. You couldn’t possibly know.”

Barry leans back in his chair, clasping his hands over his stomach. “You’re right, I didn’t know. Not at first. But that doesn’t change the fact that I couldn’t just walk away. I have medical knowledge, access to life-saving drugs, and a spare room that never gets used. I work in an apothecary, for crying out loud. I have the ability to makes sure no one dies on the street because they couldn’t go to a hospital, and I’m going to take advantage of all my resources to do just that.”

Lup smirks, leaning forward in her chair. “That selfless bullshit if gonna get you killed,” she says. “There are people all over the world who would love to take advantage of people like you. If I trusted every sad sap who told me a sob story, I wouldn’t be around now. You can’t trust anyone but yourself, bub.”

Barry brings his soup bowl to his lips and drains the remaining contents. “You don’t mean that,” he states as though it were simply a fact. It makes Lup’s blood boil.

“You don’t know anything about me,” she snaps.

“What about your brother?” Lup sucks in a breath, feeling her anger freeze in her chest. Barry stares her down and continues, “You trust him. You love him enough to stick with him even when he’s become a liability to you.”

Lup hardens her stare, standing up and leaning forward. Her chair scrapes loudly against the wood floor. “My brother is not a liability,” she hisses. Her fingers dig into the wood of the table, leaving indents from her fingernails. “He’s saved my ass more times than I can count. I would never abandon him.”

Barry holds her gaze for a few moments, both of them staring intently at the other, and then he grins. “That’s how I know you’re a good person,” he says. “You’re loyal to the people you love. You understand the power that comes from having people around you that you trust. You know it, and you know that it applies to others as well. That’s why you’re not a killer, or a thief.”

Lup wants to argue, wants to tell him that he’s wrong, but she can’t seem to conjure the words to say so. So she says nothing, just pushes her chair back and walks away, dropping her empty soup bowl into the sink with a loud clatter. “I’m going to check on Taako,” she says, and retreats back into the spare room Taako is occupying. Barry doesn’t stop her.

“Scoot over,” she says, even though she knows Taako isn’t awake to hear her. She gently shifts him over to one side of the bed so she can take the other, pulling the blanket up around her waist as she sits upright. Barry’s words echo in her head, making her chest feel tight with a flurry of emotions. She feels vulnerable and exposed, her cold exterior chipped away at so quickly that she doesn’t know how to respond. Part of her is glad for it, the part of her that desperately wants to be close to others, but another part of her is setting off alarm bells, telling her that if she lets Barry get too close, he’ll eventually stab her in the back. She’s been burned so many times that her heart is covered in scars, and they’ve made her slow to trust. Taako is the only one who’s ever been consistent with her in her entire life. She stares down at her brother, still pale and vulnerable on the bed, and feels a pang of fear. “Don’t leave me behind,” she whispers, reaching out to touch his hair. He’s still cold and his skin is slick with sweat, but he’s regained the smallest bits of color. She smiles. Food does wonders when you can get a decent meal. Pushing away her rampaging thought, she slides down under the covers and she closes her eyes.


	2. Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lup and Barry do some old-fashioned bonding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for all the positive words you had for this story! I was really excited when the idea came to me so it's nice to see some positive reinforcement. Here's part two. Hopefully the characters aren't too OOC hahaha.

Lup wakes up the next morning feeling emotionally drained. It’s early in the morning, and the sun has just begun to peek up over the horizon when she drags herself out of bed. She yawns as she walks silently into the kitchen of Barry’s little house, glancing around. The early morning sunlight filters through the windows, shedding a bit of color into the room as she moves towards the kitchen. Barry’s still sleeping, and Taako’s out like a light, so she takes it upon herself to get breakfast started. She cracks open cupboards and drawers, pulling out ingredients, and wrinkles her nose at how little food he has stocked up. “Must not cook much,” she mutters to herself, snooping around until she finds a pan. She lights a fire on the stove with her magic and heats a pan, cracking a handful of eggs into it and watching as the egg whites heat and brown around the edges. She’s toasting bread on a skillet when Barry stumbles out of the room adjacent to the one she slept in last night. He looks asleep on his feet, shuffling clumsily and straightening his glasses.

“What’re you doing?” he asks, blinking the sleep from his eyes as he approaches her.

“What does it look like, Barold? I’m making breakfast,” Lup responds without looking at him. She’s cooking up a little oatmeal for Taako, and she reaches out her hand. “Got any salt?”

Barry blinks at her, still processing her words for a moment before he picks up a salt shaker from the table and presses it into her palm. “Do you do this alot?”

Lup casts him an amused glance. “Raiding people’s cupboards and stealing all their food to make a delicious meal out of it? No. But if you’re curious about my cooking, I’ve been doing it longer than you’ve been alive,” she says. Cooking is comfortable, even in an unfamiliar kitchen. She feels a bit more at home like this, and she finds the looks Barry shoots her funny.

Wordlessly, Barry starts pulling dishes from the cupboards and setting them on the table. “You seem happier this morning,” he comments, setting spoons and forks and knives next to plate and bowls on the table.

Lup shrugs, sliding the eggs onto a plate. “I thought about what you said last night, about me being a good person,” she says, voice a tad softer than before. “Not many people think to look that deeply into a couple of homeless hitchhikers. We’re ignored, for the most part. What you’re doing here, helping me and Taako out, I… really appreciate it.”

Barry smiles that soft and sweet smile. “So you decided stealing my food would be a good way to say that?”

Lup laughs a bit, turning down the heat on the oatmeal and spooning out a bowl for Taako. “Don’t think too hard about it and dish up,” she says, setting it aside to cool before piling her own plate with food. She uses the tray from last night and piles both her and Taako’s breakfasts onto it before returning to the bedroom.

Taako is sitting up and rubbing his eyes when Lup comes in, food in hand. “I brought breakfast,” she announces.

“This isn’t a hotel,” Taako accuses. Lup ignores him, plopping down on the bed beside him and reaching out to feel his forehead. He’s still warm, but not as much as before. She breathes out a sigh of relief. He still looks dizzy and delirious, but he’s at least a little lucid, and Lup is grateful for it.

“I know this isn’t the way we traditionally go, but the circumstances seem to have changed,” she says, setting the tray on Taako’s lap. “Try to get some food in you, it’ll help.” She plants herself against Taako’s side, shoulder brushing his, and picks up a fork to cut into her eggs.

She tells him about her encounter with Barry as they eat, Taako half-listening as he focuses on not spilling his food all over himself. “He’s a good guy, and he genuinely seems to want to help,” she says to him. “A little nerdy, maybe, but in that endearing way.”

Taako quirks a brow at her teasingly. “If you say so,” he says. “I always appreciate not being dead, so there’s that.”

Lup laughs at him, but it’s obvious that Taako is still fighting to stay awake. Her smile drops from her face, and she sighs. “You should try to get some more sleep. You’re obviously tired,” she says.

“I’ve been sleeping for ages,” Taako mumbles, but Lup can see that he doesn’t have much of a choice. His body is devoting all his energy into recovering, and it leaves him with little to spare. She offers him a smile and a cheeky kiss on the temple as he falls back against the pillows. Lup picks up the empty dishes and sets the tray on the table next to her.

It’s lonely, not having Taako around. She’s about to stand up to rejoin Barry when he enters the room himself, cautiously cracking open the door before opening it fully. “How’s it going?” he asks.

“He woke up long enough to eat, but he’s asleep again now,” Lup answers, her eyes lingering on her brother’s sleeping form. Her fingers play with the tips of his hair idly. “I miss him,” she adds quietly.

Barry nods sympathetically and moves to the other side of the bed, giving Taako a quick look-over. He seems satisfied with what he sees, nodding to himself and jotting a few words down onto a piece of paper that he tucks into his shirt pocket. He glances at Lup and frowns; she looks lonely and sad, her fingers tangling in Taako’s long blond hair. “Have you played cards before?” he asks suddenly. Lup looks up, her hand dropping from Taako’s hair, and she shakes her head no. Barry grins. “Want me to teach you?”

  
  


Taako spends the next few days in bed, sleeping for most of the day and disoriented when he’s awake. Lup sits with him a lot of the time, reading a book she nabbed from one of Barry’s shelves or just losing herself in thoughts and daydreams. Barry distracts her when he can, whether it’s through mindless games or random conversation, but he also has a job to get back to, and after their first two days he goes back to work for the day, leaving Lup in an empty house with a catatonic Taako. It’s lonely, and Lup often finds the days dragging on with no one to talk to and nothing exciting to do. She considers going out a few times, but with so little money there isn’t much to do, not to mention the fact that she can’t just leave Taako behind on his own. Her only reprieve is when Barry finally comes back late at night from working at the apothecary.

More and more, Lup starts to look forward to the times that Barry’s around. Part of it is that having some sort of social interaction curbs her restlessness, but she finds that she enjoys Barry’s company as well. He’s friendly and helpful, if a bit nerdy, and he’s good at taking her mind off of her situation. It’s rare for her to find someone she clicks so easily with, and Barry makes it easy to be around him. He’s polite and he knows her boundaries, when to take a step back and when it’s okay to push a little. It’s been a long time since Lup has met someone she can consider to be her friend, but she thinks Barry is probably on that list now.

It’s late at night four days into Taako’s recovery when Barry announces that he has a surprise for her. “A surprise?” she echoes, leaning forward across the dinner table curiously. “What kind of surprise?”

“If I told you that, it wouldn’t be a surprise anymore,” Barry laughs. He stands up and waves for Lup to follow him outside. He’s balanced a ladder against the side of the house, and she holds it for him while he climbs. When he reaches the top, he does the same for her, helping her to keep her balance on the gently sloping surface of the roof.

“What could you possible have to show me that requires me to-” she starts, then stops as she lifts her head and sees what Barry has prepared. He’s rolled out two soft-looking mats next to each other, a small pile of books in between, and a single big quilt it folded neatly beside them. “What’s this?” she asks, casting Barry a questioning smile.

Barry rubs the back of his neck, looking a bit nervous. “Well, I remember you saying that you’ve always liked the constellations, so I thought, it you want to, I could teach you how to find a few?” He glances away, rambling, “I know it’s lonely with Taako sick all the time, and I can’t be around all day, so I just thought-”

“Shut up and teach me, Barry,” Lup interrupts with a snort of laughter, dragging him by the hand towards the mats. She falls back onto one of them with a sigh, arms spread wide as she looks up at the glittering night sky. Barry sits down beside her, grabbing the quilt and throwing it over their legs. He picks up a book from the pile and starts to flip through it, reading off a list of constellations.

“Well, uh, there are a few constellations you can see in the sky tonight. The Big Dipper, Orion, and a little bit of Sagittarius should be out tonight,” he says.

Lup hums. “How about Orion? That one sounds cool,” she suggests.

Barry flashes her a small smile and nods. “The easiest way to find Orion is to look for his belt. It’s made up of three bright stars, and from there you can find his torso and his bow by looking for Bellatrix and Betelgeuse,” he explains. Lup gives him an incredulous look, eyebrow raised.

“I got, like, half of that,” she says. Barry sighs and slides the book her way, pointing to a photo on the page. Lup sits herself up and leans over to get a closer look. The constellation is outlined in white lines. “Oh, I see. You just match the design up with the sky.” She glances back up at the sky intently, searching. “You said to look for his belt, right? Is that it?” She lifts one hand to point at a cluster of bright stars.

Barry chuckles and gently pushes her hand farther left. “Close, but not quite. Try again,” he urges.

Lup frowns and squints at the spot Barry moved her hand to point at. “I think I see it!” she says, face breaking into a broad grin. “Just like the picture, right? Cool.” She drops her hand to her side again. “I always loved this kind of stuff.”

“What kind of stuff?” Barry looks down at Lup, closing the book.

“Just… all of it. Learning. Discovery. I wish I could have gone to a real school,” she sighs.

Barry quirks his head at Lup, frowning. “You guys didn’t go to school?”

Lup shakes her head, crossing her legs. “Not really. I mean, I can read and write and do math and stuff like that, but I never made it past the basics. I was never in a place where that was possible.”

Barry falls silent after that, clasping his hands behind his head and laying it down beside hers. He looks troubled by this revelation. Lup doesn’t really get it. “How come?” he asks after a moment.

Lup shrugs casually. “Taako and I never really had a permanent home. Never knew our parents, got passed around a lot, the traditional sad orphan sob story. We were in foster care for a while, but they wanted to separate us, so we left. Never looked back.” She says all of this very casually, with a frivolous wave of the hand. She doesn’t want pity or sympathetic words. She doesn’t want people to apologize for things they don’t even understand, that they weren’t even present for.

“Sounds hard,” is all that Barry says.

Lup makes a noncommittal noise. “I guess so. It would have been nice to be someplace permanent, but Taako and I never really thought much about it. We were together, and that was all that mattered. The hard part was being young and broke, ‘cause no one wants to hire a couple of dirty kids off the street who can hardly take care of themselves,” she says.

Barry turns his head towards her, and his glasses tilt awkwardly on his face. He doesn’t seem to notice. “How did you survive that long, when you were so young?” he asks.

“We had an aunt that taught us to cook,” Lup answers. “She was the closest thing to a permanent home we had. Lived there for a year and a half before she died, but she taught us enough to make ourselves useful. We hopped from caravan to caravan, offering up our cooking skills in return for a place to sleep. No respectable place would hire us, but mercenaries and ruffians didn’t care how old we were or where we came from, just that we were able to work. It wasn’t the best life, but it was all we had.”

Barry hums, turning his gaze back to the sky. Lup risks a glance at his face; he looks sad. “How long have you two been on your own for?” he asks, voice soft. He sounds sorrowful.

Lup hums for a moment. How long  _ had _ it been? “It’s hard to say. Probably around… ninety years?” she says at last.

“Ninety years?” Barry chokes out, staring at her with wide eyes. “God, Lup, that’s like, a lifetime!”

Lup laughs, amused at his shocked expression. “Maybe for you, but for an elf ninety years is merely a childhood. Like I said, it wasn’t so bad. There were fun times, and we met some really interesting people. Got to learn magic, that was pretty damn sweet. Travelling can be pretty fun, if you travel with people you like.” She flashes him a grin, smoothing her hair back away from her face. “What about you, short stuff? I spilled my guts, so what about your tragic backstory?”

Barry flushes at the nickname. “Come on, Lup, I’m like an inch shorter than you,” he grumbles, eliciting a bark of laughter from Lup. “Anyway, I don’t have much of a ‘tragic’ backstory, but I guess if you want to know, I’ve lived in this house my whole life. Mostly it was just me and my mother. Dad died before I ever really got to know him, and it put our little family in a tight spot in terms of money. Mom worked constantly to make sure we had the things we needed. She made sure I had a good education and did well in school, and that we always had a little extra money tucked away for emergencies.”

“She sounds like a smart woman,” Lup comments.

Barry smiles. “Yeah, she was pretty great,” he agrees. “The two of us lived together in this house through my whole childhood, but she was an older woman even when I was born, prematurely gray and well past what most people would consider childbearing years. She had a poor immune system, and would get sick often. About seven years ago an epidemic swept through town, a fever that set in and killed you quickly if you didn’t have the medicine. A lot of people died who couldn’t afford a hospital, including my mother.”

Lup swallows, and her mind flashes to Taako, sick in bed below her. “Oh,” she whispers, not knowing what else to say.

Barry offers her a reassuring smile. “It was tough, at first. Losing a parent is hard, and my mother was the only family I had. But she was smart. She left me this house, and a little extra money. She got me a job as an apothecary’s assistant. Even in death, she was always taking care of me.”

Lup makes a face. “That’s… really fucking cheesy, Barold,” she says.

Barry snorts out a laugh, sitting up. “Yeah, well, I’m a cheesy guy. Get used to it,” he replies, reaching out a hand to help Lup to her feet. She takes it, letting Barry pull her up as she regains her footing on the sloped surface of the roof and gathers up the quilt in her arms, letting Barry lead her back to the ladder. As they re-enter the house, Barry waves a hand, and a handful of candles stashed throughout the room magically light themselves.

Lup drops the quilt on a large armchair in the sitting room, tucking her hair behind her ears. “Hey, Barry?” she calls out.

He’s moved into the kitchen, tidying a few things up before he goes to bed. “What’s up?” he replies without looking.

“Thanks,” Lup says. It’s enough to make Barry pause what he’s doing and turn to look at her. She doesn’t look back. “I just realized that I don’t think I’ve really thanked you for everything you’re doing for me, and for Taako. He’d be dead if it wasn’t for you, and I’d probably still be on the streets. I’m not good with emotional shit, but, uh, thank you, I guess.”

Barry smiles and turns back to cleaning. “Don’t mention it. That’s what friends so for each other, right?” he says, and there’s a fondness to his tone that he hasn’t used in the past. It makes Lup’s chest feel warm, and she can’t fight the smile that blooms on her face.

“Yeah, friends.”


	3. A Day On The Town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry takes Lup on a tour of the town's local marketplace. Taako teases his sister ceaselessly. Barry is an easily-flustered nerd.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter three! I keep having more ideas for this fic, so it will probably be a bit longer than I thought originally haha. Hope you all like it!

After a week of continuous bedrest and another week of supervised exercise, Taako is doing much better. He’s still shaky and sick, coughing and sneezing over everything, but his fever is down to a manageable level and he’s able to walk himself around the house again. It makes Lup’s life a lot easier to have her brother back and lucid, even if he still sleeps more than normal and doesn’t have his usual energy.

It takes a bit of convincing, but Taako finally gets Lup to leave the house and have some fun now that he can get what he needs himself. She doesn’t like to go out herself, too paranoid of being on her own in a potentially dangerous town, but Barry is more than happy to show her around.

The two of them adopt an odd sort of friendship over those two weeks. Lup jokes around and laughs like she always has with friends she’s picked up on caravans and in towns, but Taako can see that there’s something different about Barry. She’s softer around him, still sarcastic but with a fond edge that Taako hasn’t often heard in her voice. She doesn’t react when he touches her shoulder or the small of her back, gently leading her from beside her, which would usually be something tolerated only by people she really liked. She’s been smiling a lot more recently, too. She’s happier. Taako doesn’t comment on it, just flashes her an occasional knowing smile for her to roll her eyes at as they sit around Barry’s dinner table together.

Taako likes Barry. He’s smart and kind, and easy to pester, which Taako takes advantage of as soon as he can. He takes great pleasure in seeing Barry flush under his casual teasing and gentle insults, but Barry doesn’t seem to mind, and if he does he doesn’t mention it. There’s also the fact that Barry, more or less, saved his life, and Taako can’t hold that against him if he tried. He’s content to just watch how things play out.

 

“Ready to go?” Barry calls from across the kitchen. He zips up the pocket of a backpack, tugging it onto one shoulder.

“Yeah, just gimme a sec, my guy,” Lup responds from the bathroom. Barry sighs. She’s been fiddling with her hair for ten minutes, trying to get her mass of long curls into a ponytail and out of her face. “God, I should really just chop it all off,” she curses as her rubber band snaps in her hand, stinging her palm. She pouts and settles for a half-up style, pulling another band from her wrist to tie it back.

Taako walks by and laughs at his sister’s struggle. “If you want me to cut it, let me know,” he says, making a scissors motion with his fingers.

Lup rolls her eyes and mutters, “As if I would ever let you near me with scissors,” as she finally gets the rubber band around her hair. She gives herself a quick once-over, turning her head side to side and watching her curls swish around her face. Deeming it satisfactory, she scoops up her own bag and pulls it onto her shoulders. “Okay, I’m ready,” she announces to Barry with a smile.

“Have fun on your date!” Taako yells as the two of them walk towards the door.

Lup glares over her shoulder. “Oh, stuff it, you turd,” she replies sharply. Taako gives her a thumbs-up and a big grin, to which Lup just sighs. “Stay out of trouble while we’re gone, dingus.”

Barry laughs, reaching out to touch Lup’s shoulder and usher her out the door. “We’ll be back later tonight. Give us a ring on the stone of farspeech if you need anything,” he says.

Taako nods and waves as Barry closes the door behind him and locks it with a flick of the wrist. He uses magic in ways that Lup has never considered, taking low-level spells from every discipline to perform mundane tasks. Things like lighting candles and unlocking things without a key, or making a book levitate to him. Lup has never seen magic used in such a casual way. “You know, if you practiced a little more I bet you could learn some kick-ass spells,” she comments as she watches him lock the door.

Barry chuckles a little and shrugs. “I’ve never really had a need to before,” he says simply. “I picked up magic as a hobby more than anything. It’s useful for performing little tasks, makes my life easier. My boss finds it useful for multitasking.” He adjusts his grip on his backpack, keeping one hand on the strap while the other sways at his side as they walk. “So, you really haven’t been down to the market yet?”

Lup shakes her head. “The night you found us was the first night we got here. I didn’t get much time to explore,” she answers. “Besides, it’s not like I can do much but browse there. Gotta save up all my extra cash. I only came with ‘cause it’s been too long since I was outside, and you invited me.”

“The market isn’t just for shopping. Yes, it’s a tourist attraction, but it’s also a cultural hub for this town. You can learn a lot just by talking to the vendors and passersby,” Barry begins, and Lup casts him an amused but fond look.

“You’re such a nerd,” she teases, bumping her shoulder against his, and Barry cuts himself off with a small, nervous laugh, cheeks tinted pink.

“Sorry, I just get excited.”

Lup shakes her head. “Don’t be sorry. I think it’s cute,” she replies. “I can be pretty nerdy myself.”

Barry raises an eyebrow at this, curious. “Oh? What about?”

Lup hums. “Chemistry, explosions, magic. History, too, and math. Taako hates when I talk about that stuff though. Says it’s super boring and pretentious, but he’s the one that changes shit into other shit.”

Barry laughs, nodding. “History, really? Never would’ve pegged you for the scholarly type,” he says lightly.

“Yeah, well, school was never really a concern of mine, but I think I would’ve liked it a lot,” she says with a shrug. “I like the stories. Especially ones about ancient wizards and sorcerers.”

Barry nods; it’s fitting. “I was always a fan of math and science, if you couldn’t tell already,” he says with a little grin. “Medical science was always interesting to me, and the applications of magic in medicine are fascinating as well. Working in an apothecary has always been been a fun and enlightening experience. The people I work with are lighthearted and talented. They teach me whatever I want to know and pay me to listen and help them out.”

Lup smiles. “Sounds like a fucking sweet deal,” she says.

They pass by a fork in the road, and Barry leads then right, towards a crowded clearing filled with brightly-colored tents. Many of them have tables outside of them with wares displayed, and some of them are box-shaped and open in front, the whole store out in the open. Merchants stand outside of them calling out their spoils and coercing shoppers to stop by and take a look. Lup glances around, curious, if a bit apprehensive, but she’s mostly at ease in the crowd. Crowds are easy to slip into and hide in, and having a partner with her makes her feel safer.

“The market’s pretty busy this time of day, but it should thin out soon,” Barry says. “It’s pretty early in the morning, so lots of people do their shopping before work. Follow me, I’ll show you some of my personal favorites. Stay close, you don’t want to get separated” He holds out a hand to her a silent invitation, and Lup takes it.

“I can take care of myself,” she says with a quirk of a brow, but she doesn’t let go of his hand.

Barry laughs. “I know you can, but getting lost would still suck,” he replies, tugging her into the crowd. He weaves through the crowd with practiced ease, glancing down long lines of tents as he gets his bearings. Lup whips her head back and forth, trying to drink in all the sights she can, and lets Barry lead her down an open path towards a tan-colored tent. A sign hangs over it reading “Pawn Shop”, and Lup scrutinizes it curiously.

“A pawn shop?”

Barry nods with a grin. “You can find all kinds of cool stuff in places like these,” he says, releasing Lup’s hand as they approach the entrance. He pulls back the tent flap and steps inside, Lup following close behind. “I come here a lot just to browse, but sometimes there’s something worth buying. You can sell your old junk here, too.”

Lup hums in acknowledgement, eyes scanning over the shelves until she sees the shopkeeper. He’s probably the biggest human Lup’s ever seen, tall and muscular and oozing confidence. His smile is friendly, though, and despite his intimidating appearance he maintains an air of approachability. He’s sporting an impressive beard with ever more impressive sideburns that look more like miniature bushes than facial hair. “Barry! Hey man, welcome back,” the man greets in a gruff voice, a broad grin threatening to encompass his entire face.

Barry laughs and gives the man a hearty handshake, his smaller hand encompassed entirely by the shopkeeper’s massive one. “Magnus, good to see you,” he greets.

Magnus glances over Barry’s shoulder to Lup, who keeps a neutral expression as she cocks a hip and raises a hand in a silent greeting. “Who’s your friend?” he asks. “Never seen her around before.”

“This is Lup,” Barry answers. “She’s new to town, so I’m giving her a tour of the market.” He skirts around the fact that Lup has been under his care for two weeks with a surprising ease that Lup wouldn’t have expected. She’d taken him to be totally straight-laced, and is pleasantly surprised to discover this mischievous streak.

“Nice to meet’cha, big fella,” Lup says, reaching out a hand to shake Magnus’s as well. He does, and her poor strength is quickly overwhelmed by his crushing grip and strong arm as he rips it up and down quickly.

Barry leans an elbow on the table. “Got anything new?” he questions as Lup wrings her hand out at her side, wincing.

Magnus grins and nods emphatically. “All the time, Barry. Just this morning, a traveller came by and sold me this super-awesome axe. He claimed it could chop down any tree in a single strike. Doubt it’s true, but the axe is pretty impressive,” he rattles off, gesturing to a massive double-sided axe already hanging from a large wooden wall behind the counter.

Barry eyes the axe uncomfortably. “Uh, that’s nice, but I was hoping for something less… weapon-y?” he tries. “I’m not much of a fighter-”

“Oh, of course! Sorry Barry, I forgot you’re more of a math-and-science guy. I always get excited about the weapons,” he apologizes with a hearty laugh. “I think I’ve got just the thing, gimme a second.” He reaches under his table and pulls out what appears to be a compass with a gold base and a glass top. “This came in the other day and I thought you’d find it interesting, so I held on to it for you.”

Barry takes the compass, intrigued, and Lup glances over his shoulder to get a closer look. She frowns when she sees that the needle inside isn’t pointed north, despite being marked with the cardinal directions. “Uh, hate to break it to ya, but I think this one’s busted,” she comments. “The needle’s not pointing north.”

Magnus grins and winks. “That’s ‘cause it’s not an ordinary compass. It’s magic. Points you towards the most valuable thing in the vicinity, but it’s disguised as a regular compass so keep it incognito. I bought it off a thief who had two of them, figured I could sell it for a decent price. What do you say?”

Barry looks interested, but eventually sets it back down. “It’s really cool, Magnus, but I don’t think I’d have much use for it,” he answers. “You’d be better off selling it to a rogue or a pickpocket or something. I bet someone would pay a lot of gold for it, though! Good find.”

Magnus shrugs and takes the compass back, setting it on a shelf at his side. “Worth a shot,” he says. “You guys looking for anything in particular?”

Lup shakes her head. “Just browsing,” she answers, busying herself with examining a shelf filled with various pieces of jewelry. There’s a line of rings sitting on top of each other on thin spokes of wood, with a sign that says “ _ DO NOT TOUCH, ITEMS MAY BE CURSED _ ”. She frowns. “You sell cursed items here?”

“I’ll sell just about anything as long as it’s legal,” he answers. “Despite what you may think, there are a lot of people out there who collect them. If you see something you like, let me know. I have a ledger with all the information in it.”

Lup shakes her head. “Not today, but thanks,” she says, turning to glance at Barry. He’s examining the contents of a shallow bin, but he looks bored. “Ready to move on?” she asks.

Barry nods and bids Magnus farewell as the two of them leave together. He takes them to a few more shops, talking up the vendors and merchants with varying levels of familiarity, until the sun is high in the sky. “Want to get something to eat? My treat,” Barry says.

Lup laughs a little. “Well, if you’re paying, how can I say no?” she quips, and Barry grins, leading her towards the back of the market where food vendors of all sorts are selling pastries and treats of all kinds. They spend a generous amount of time pouring over their options before making a decision, and Barry pays out of a little coin pouch he produces from his pocket. It’s then that she notices the little bag hanging from one wrist, and quirks an eyebrow at his questioningly. “What’s that? I didn’t see it before.”

“Just a little trinket I picked up along the way,” Barry answers vaguely. It only serves to make Lup more curious, but before she can say any more, Barry is pressing a pastry into her hands. “I want to stop at the produce stand before we leave, but is there anywhere else you wanted to go?” he asks.

Lup shakes her head. “This place is pretty cool. You seem to be pretty familiar with most of the people here,” she says.

Barry takes a bite of the sandwich he bought. “I’ve lived in this town my whole life, so I’ve built up a pretty good reputation,” he answers with a wink. Lup grins against her will.

The two of them start to walk back towards Barry’s house, pausing for a few minutes so Barry can pick up a basket of fresh fruits and vegetables to take back with them. By the time they get back, it’s well past noon. Barry unlocks the door and lets them in, and immediately Lup is hit with the smell of fresh-baked goods. “Taako, have you been baking? ‘Cause it smells  _ amazing _ in here,” she calls.

Taako waves to them from the kitchen. “Welcome back, nerds. I made cookies,” he says.

“You’re still sick,” Barry points out, eyeing the cookies suspiciously, and Lup snorts.

“Chill, dude, I washed my hands and wore gloves,” he answers, wiggling his plastic-clad fingers. “I tried my absolute best to make sure these are one hundred percent germ-free. Don’t want either of you to catch what I have.”

Lup walks over to the kitchen eagerly, picking up a cookie. “Don’t worry, Taako’s a professional,” she says, taking a bite. “God, I missed these. You were always better at baking than me.”

Taako grins smugly. “You’re completely right about that, but I can’t deny that you’re better at anything with meat in it. Still haven’t figured out how you do it.” He turns to Barry as he washes his hands, shedding the disposable gloves and tossing them out. “By the way, Barold, I used the rest of your sugar,” he says.

Barry sighs. “You could’ve at least let me know. I would have picked up more while I was out,” he complains, and Taako just laughs. Lup holds out a cookie to him with a grin and a wink, and after a moment’s hesitation, he accepts it. “Better not get me sick,” he warns with a pointed glance at Taako, before taking a bite.

The cookie is pleasantly soft in the middle while maintaining a bit of crunch around the edges, and Barry can’t deny how good they are. “You guys really are talented,” he says. “I bet either of you could get a job at any restaurant in this town.”

Lup laughs, a little bitter. “Yeah, wouldn’t that be great?” she sighs. “Unfortunately, homelessness makes for a bad rep. No one wants to hire a chef that sleeps on the streets. It’s  _ unprofessional _ .” She mocks a pretentious voice, sticking out her tongue in disgust. “Prejudiced bastards. I’d be lucky to find a job at a bar, let alone a nice restaurant.”

Barry hums thoughtfully, silent for a minute. Lup can see the gears turning in his head, and she frowns. “Well, I think you should still try. Until you find a job, you guys can stay here. Taako still has a ways to go before he’s safe to leave, and, well, you guys liven the place up.” He looks a little sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck the way he always does.

Lup’s eyes widen, and she and Taako share a shocked look. Barry looks a little anxious. “What’s wrong?” he asks.

Lup swallows. “That’s… really fucking sweet of you, Barry, but we can’t do that,” she says.

“Yeah, you’ve already done too much,” Taako adds. “Once I’m fully back on my feet, we were gonna get out of you hair. It’s not right of us to mooch off you for too long.”

“Besides, permanence isn’t really our thing. We’ve never been in one place longer than, like, a year and a half. We’ve been travelling our whole lives,” Lup says. “I don’t want to take advantage.”

Barry frowns, looking disappointed. “You wouldn’t be taking advantage. It’d just be ‘til you guys get back on your feet, and then, well, I was hoping that you’d… stay close.” He says the last part a little softer, glancing down. “You guys are good people, really, and I think this town would really like you if you decide to stick around. You could find an apartment and a job, a real job, with a contract and set hours and benefits. Besides, I, uh, really like having you both around.” He casts a glance at Lup, silently pleading, then seems to realize what he’s doing and quickly adds, “Of course, if you guys need to leave I understand. I won’t keep you here if you don’t want to stay.”

Lup feels a tug at her heart when Barry meets her gaze. The thought of staying, of building themselves a real life with a job and a place to live, is so foreign to her that she doesn’t know how to sort out the thoughts that form in her head. “We’ll talk about it,” she says at last. “Thank you, Barry. You’ve done more for us than we can ever repay you for.”

“Don’t mention it,” Barry replies with a fond smile, and the conversation transitions back to baking as Barry questions Taako on his recipe.

 

Later that night, the three of the crowd into the sitting room, Lup and Barry on the sofa while Taako takes a chair across from them. A small card table sits between them, the plate of leftover cookies sitting on it. Lup and Barry tell Taako about their trip to the market, Lup doing her best to describe Magnus for him.

“He had a whole shelf of super-cool cursed rings,” she says. “I wish I could’ve figured out what they do, but I wasn’t about to touch them to find out.”

Barry laughs easily from where he’s seated beside her, one arm thrown lazily over the back of the sofa. “Magnus really seemed to like you. You’re the kind of person he gets along with really well,” he comments. “I think he would have liked Taako, too. I’ll have to introduce you sometime, when you’re feeling better.”

“Hell yeah, my dude, he sounds like a party animal,” Taako replies, then breaks off to cough into his sleeve. He’s starting to look a little sleepy, his eyelids drooping, but he doesn’t get up yet.

Lup snorts into her hand, grinning. “He looked super strong. I bet he could pound a twig like you into the ground with one hand,” she teases, earning an indignant glare from her brother.

“We’re the same size, asshole!” he retorts, and Lup descends into a fit of laughter. Barry laughs, too, gruff and rich.

Lup glances up at him. “By the way, Barry, I wanted to ask, what’s with the little bag thingie? You haven’t unpacked it all day, and the curiosity’s eating me up,” she says.

To her surprise, Barry blushes, cheeks turning a light pink, and he glances away with a nervous little laugh. The aforementioned bag is sitting on the table next to the cookies, untouched. “Well, uh, I was gonna do that later, but since you asked, well, I bought it for you,” he replies. He picks up the little bag and holds it out to her. “I saw it at a kiosk across the street while you were looking at the food carts and thought you might like it…” he trails off awkwardly, cheeks darkening a bit. “Sorry, I should’ve told you.”

Lup is speechless, and across the little card table in the sitting room Taako looks like he’s about to bust up laughing. He keeps it together, though, uttering a quiet, “Oh my  _ god _ ,” as he watches the scene play out.

Lup takes the bag from him. “You didn’t have to get me anything, I thought we were just browsing,” she says. She’s awestruck; she had thought that Barry had picked it up for himself, and this was more than she expected. “What is it?”

Barry smiles a bit. “You’ll, um, have to open it to find out,” he says, trying to maintain some sense of mystery.

“Open it,” Taako says excitedly. He has a big shit-eating grin on his face, drinking up every second of this awkward moment. When Lup hesitates, he drums his hands on his knees restlessly. “Come oooon, Lup, just do it! I have to know!”

Lup glares. “Can it, Taako,” she snaps, and carefully pulls out the colorful paper stuffed in the top of the little bag. Inside is a jewelry box, bigger than a ring box but small enough to fit into her palm. She pulls it out and admires the smooth surface of it for a few seconds before cracking it open. Her breath catches in her throat when she sees what’s inside, and she lets out a long, slow breath.

Inside the box is a crystalline pendant on a silver chain. It’s clear, shaped like a star, and has a tiny red gem affixed to each point. Lup can tell just by looking at it that it’s not real gemstone, but she doesn’t care. She’s actually glad that the necklace isn’t expensive-looking, because she thinks it would make her feel guilty if he spent a lot of money on it. Instead, she feels a rush of affection for Barry. “It’s beautiful, Barry, I love it,” she says. “Thank you.”

Taako whistles lowly, a grin on his face, and says nothing.

Barry’s smile broadens. “I saw it on display in front of jeweler’s tent and thought it suited you,” he explains. “Sorry if I surprised you, I know you don’t like surprises much.”

Lup shakes her head and flashes him a reassuring smile. “No, it’s okay,” she says, pulling the pendant out of the box and undoing the clasp. “Help me put it on?”

Barry nods, and Lup pulls her hair out of the way so he can fasten the pendant around her neck. The cold metal against her neck is biting at first, but it quickly goes away as she fiddles with the pendant with her hands. She casts a glance at Taako, who has sat back in his seat after the excitement passes and seems to be nodding off again. Lup laughs softly and stands up. “Looks like it’s bedtime,” she announces, tugging Taako up out of the chair. She gives Barry a quick wave. “Thanks again for the necklace. See you in the morning.” Barry waves back, a silly smile on his face, and Lup leads Taako back to the bedroom with an arm around his shoulders.

Taako sighs as he quickly changes clothes and slumps backwards onto the bed. Lup runs to the bathroom to brush her teeth and braid her hair, and when she returns, Taako is still awake. Lup raises an eyebrow; usually he passes out by the time she gets back due to his illness, but he’s fighting it tonight. “I think we should stay,” he says suddenly.

Lup freezes, fingers halfway finished tying off her second braid, and the blinks at Taako, stunned. After a second she resumes her task, turning to the mirror in the bedroom to check her work. “You decided really fast,” she comments. “What’s up?”

She tries to keep her tone light, but she can feel Taako’s seriousness even across the room. It’s not often he addresses an issue so concretely. No flowery words, no sweet talk, just laying it down for her. It makes her uneasy. Taako shifts his position to sit up straighter. “This is a good town. Big enough to have everything we’d ever need in it, but not so big that we’d be strangers. The people here are friendly. We could find jobs, and have an apartment, like Barry said. Work our way through the ranks until we can work at a real restaurant, like we’ve always wanted.” He pauses, voice softening. “Besides, you’re obviously happy here.”

Lup hums noncommittally, but her chest tightens. He’s right, she’s happier here than she has been in a long time. “What about you? Are you happy here?” she asks softly.

Taako shrugs. “Haven’t seen much of the actual town yet, but the stories are pretty promising,” he replies. “I like Barry. He’s a good guy. Dare I say future brother-in-law material?”

Lup scoffs and stalks across the room to smack Taako on the shoulder, hard. He falls back against the pillows, cackling. “Sorry, sorry, couldn’t resist,” he says, fending off further attacks with his hands until Lup backs off.

“Jerk,” she hisses, crossing her arms and fighting down the embarrassed blush that threatens to rise. She sits herself down on the other side of the bed and softens a bit, sighing. “You really think we could make it here?” she asks. “We’ve never had a permanent home before, and, well… I don’t even know how to live like a normal person.”

“We could figure it out,” Taako says immediately. “Besides, Barry’d help us out, I’m sure of it. In fact, I think he’d do it whether we ask of not.”

Lup looks a bit apprehensive, one hand fingering the pendant around her neck. “He’s already done too much for us. I don’t want to put him out any more than we have to,” she says stubbornly.

“It’s not putting him out if you’re his friend,” Taako presses. “Look, I feel the same way, Lulu. And believe me when I say I’m really fucking excited to be done with this dumb sickness and not have to rely on Barry anymore. But I can also see how much he means to you.”

Lup tenses, swallowing thickly. “Yeah, he does,” she whispers, barely loud enough for Taako’s elven ears to pick up. He smiles, a rare, affectionate smile that doesn’t surface often.

“I think it’s worth sticking around, if you want to stick around too.”

Lup flashes him a smile and climbs under the comforter. “Yeah, okay. I’ll think about it, and we can talk some more tomorrow,” she says. Taako seems pleased with this answer, nodding and shimmying down under the blankets with her.

“While you’re at it, you can also tell me more about your date with Barold,” he teases, and winces when Lup kicks him in the leg. It’s worth it, though, and he’s still grinning as he magically extinguishes the candles set up around the room and closes his eyes to sleep.


	4. The Twins Make An Important Decision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taako and Lup discuss exactly what they're going to do when Taako finally gets better. Lup tries to separate her desires from her institutionalized fear of permanence. Barry picks up a job offer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy fanfic writer appreciation day! Have a chapter for the special occasion. I would have had this up sooner but I was on vacation last weekend. Hopefully I can get another one out before I leave for college on Saturday, since after that I will probably need to slow down a little. Thanks for all your kind words!

When Barry gets out of bed the next morning, the sun hasn’t yet risen. He’s groggy, and all he wants is to close his eyes and sleep until the sun comes through his window, but he’s due for the morning shift at the apothecary. So, with much reluctance, he drags himself out of bed, gets dressed, and tidies himself up.

Once he’s more awake, Barry begins to hear noises in the house outside. He pauses combing his hair, listening to the sound of someone walking around and sitting in one of the plush chairs in his sitting room. He frowns, as it’s still too early in the morning for Lup to be up, and Taako is still recovering. Tugging his work robe on over a pair of jeans and a simple white shirt, he peeks his head out of the bedroom to see who’s making so much noise so early in the morning.

It’s Taako, sitting in a chair with a banana and a big book propped open on his lap. He glances up briefly as Barry enters before returning to his book, lifting his hand in a quick greeting. “‘Morning, Barold,” he says, taking a bite of the banana.

“You’re up early,” Barry comments. He stifles a yawn with his hand as he moves to the kitchen to make himself a quick breakfast. “Shouldn’t you be resting?”

“Couldn’t sleep,” Taako replies. “I slept for a few hours, but sleeping isn’t really something elves tend to do a lot, and I’ve done a lot of it the last week. Figured I’d find something to pass the time ‘til I got sleepy again.” He sits up fully and closes the book, setting it on the coffee table in front of him. “Plus, I wanted to talk to you before you left for work.”

Barry pulls out a piece of bread and starts spreading some jam on it. “What about?”

“About Lup.”

Barry pauses for a moment, then finishes up with his bread. He takes the slice and walks over to where Taako is sitting in silence, taking a seat across from him as Taako watches. “So, uh, is this the part where you give me the shovel talk?” he asks, sounding a little nervous as he bites into his bread.

A grin splits Taako’s previously serious expression, and he laughs. “Shovel talk? You mean where I threaten you if you break my sister’s heart? No, no, no. That’s not my job. You really think Lup needs me to defend her honor or whatever? She’s a big girl, she can make her own choices.” He looks amused, leaning back in the chair and crossing his legs. “I just thought I should give you a fair warning, bubeleh. Lup and I haven’t had a permanent home in over ninety years, and that kind of life really fucks you up socially. We don’t have friends, and we don’t have family, except each other. We survived by never trusting anyone but each other, ‘cause no one else ever stuck around. They were just dust, understand?”

Barry swallows. “I think I can understand the concept,” Barry answers uneasily. “You two have led a pretty rough life, huh?”

“Don’t go getting all sympathetic on me, hombre” Taako chides, raising an eyebrow. “I’m not telling you this so you can pity us or whatever. I just think you deserve to know what you’re going into.” He pauses and glances away, and Barry can see he’s searching for the right words. “Lup wants to stay, I know she does,” he says at last, and Barry feels a spark of hope in his chest, “but she’s hesitant to stick around. People can be nasty creatures, and even if she trusts you, that trust doesn’t extend to many others. The idea of making ourselves a permanent home is terrifying, for both of us. But we want to stay.”

Barry nods, staring down at the bread in his hand. “I understand,” he says softly, looking back up. “I want you help you, both of you. If you’ll let me.”

Taako smiles, a rare, soft smile. “I know you do. I just want you to understand something about Lup. If you wanna pursue whatever’s going on between the two of you, then fuck it, go crazy. Just be aware that, relationships? Not really our strong points. Be patient with us, we’ll get it eventually.”

Barry chuckles and nods. “Of course, I wouldn’t want to make you uncomfortable. Either of you.”

“That’s why I like you, my man,” Taako says with a grin. “You’re a good dude. I’m actually kinda excited to stick around.”

Barry smiles a relieved smile and stands up, having finished his breakfast. “I have to get to work, but I’ll be back around the afternoon. Try to get some more sleep while I’m gone,” he says, grabbing his coat and bag from beside the front door.

“You got it, my man,” Taako calls back, waving as Barry closes and locks the door behind him. He sighs and leans back in the chair, reaching for the book again, but is interrupted by Lup, who cracks the door open and yawns.

“Why’re you awake so early?” she mumbles, running her fingers through her sleep-ruffled hair.

Taako abandones the book and steps towards his sister, bringing his arm up around her shoulders. “Just seeing Barry off to work. Don’t worry about it and go back to sleep, I’m coming,” he says, and Lup nods, stretching her arms up over her head and going back into the bedroom.

 

“Have you thought about what we talked about last night?”

Lup hums questioningly, poking her head out of the bathroom. It’s a little past noon, and she’s brushing and taming her wild curls, trying to get them to lay a bit flatter. “Yeah, a little. The more I think about it, the more I kinda like the idea of sticking around. Finding a steady job, living in an apartment together, and getting to know the people who live around here. Sounds a hell of a lot better than finding another fuckin’ caravan, that’s for sure.”

Taako laughs. “You can say that again,” he says. “That a yes, then? Wanna give this rickety old town a shot?”

Lup hesitates, her comb hovering a few inches from her scalp. She feels suddenly frozen, like she’s being put on the spot. “Uh…”

Taako sighs, as loud and dramatic as he always does, and flashes her a stern look. There’s a pout on his lips, and he raises an eyebrow at her. “Come on, Lup, you said it yourself, just now! Steady job, our own apartment, sticking close to the one person we actually like being around? What’s the big deal?”

Lup huffs out an annoyed breath, tugging at her hair with the comb again a bit rougher than normal. “Shut up, Taak, you know why!” she snaps back. “It’s not as easy as just saying yes. Upending our whole lifestyle, our whole routine? Permanent has never really been our niche.”

“What lifestyle? Riding around in those stupid fuckin’ caravans for ninety years wasn’t living, Lup, and you know it,” Taako says, plopping down in one of Barry’s armchairs. He props a hand mirror in front of him on the coffee table and begins running his fingers through his waist-length hair, weaving the beginnings of a fishtail braid into it. “I don’t get why this is so hard for you. We have a chance to make ourselves a better life, in a place that’s not full of trash and bandits and mercenaries. We can have a home again! Besides, I know you don’t want to leave Barry behind. So what’s stopping you?”

Lup sets the comb down on the vanity counter and doesn’t answer. Instead, she immerses herself in gathering her hair into a high ponytail, out of her face. What  _ is _ keeping her from staying? Certainly not the town, which, despite being a bit on the trashier side compared to some, is quite charming and filled with nice and hard-working people. It isn’t Barry, far from it. Barry is the one part of this place that Lup was certain she would miss if she left. Lup lets out a groan and scrubs her hands briefly over her face. “I don’t know!” she exclaims, trudging out of the bathroom and over to the kitchen counter. She presses both hands against the cold granite countertops, shoulders slumped. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I want to stay, I think, but every time I try to think about it, I just…” she trails off into a frustrated growl.

Taako softens when he sees this, abandoning his braid in favor of approaching his sister. He lays a hand on her shoulder. “You’re scared,” he says. “Why?”

Lup shrugs, hiding her face from Taako’s view. “I don’t know, it just… terrifies me. I know that staying will be better for both of us in the long run, but I can’t help but feel like I need to run somewhere. It goes against every instinct I’ve ever acquired and it’s scaring me!” She groans again, pressing the palms of her hands into her eyes. Then she turns to Taako. “I want to stay, I really do. I just think… it’s gonna take some time to get used to the idea that this is  _ home _ now.”

“Believe me, I know the feeling,” Taako sympathizes, giving Lup a pat on the shoulder. “You just have to, like-” he makes a shoving motion with his hands. “-you know?”

Lup gives her brother a look that says she clearly doesn’t understand. She shakes her head and starts to do the dishes as a way to keep her hands busy. “Dry for me?” she asks, setting a wet plate on a towel beside the sink, and Taako begrudgingly comes up beside her, rolling up his shirt sleeves. He casts her a sideways glance and sees that she still looks conflicted and apprehensive, and he purses his lips.

“We’re gonna be fine, Lup,” he soothes as he wipes another towel over the now-clean plate and sets it beside him to put away later. “Whatever we end up doing, we’re going to do it together. We’ve always been each other’s support system and we’re not about to stop just ‘cause we found one other person worth keeping around.”

Lup flashes him a small smile and nods. “Yeah, I know,” she replies. “I trust you, Taako, and I trust Barry too. We’re going to be okay, I know we will.”

She says it in a way that Taako knows is more for herself than for him, but he smiles anyway.

 

When Barry comes home from work that day, Lup has prepared a nice dinner for the three of them. She’s standing in the kitchen when he walks in the door, apron and oven mitts still on as she pulls a tray of garlic bread out of the oven. She grins when she sees him, setting the bread on the stovetop to cool and shedding her mitts. “Welcome back,” she greets.

Barry drops his bag at the kitchen table and wanders into the kitchen, taking a deep breath of the smells wafting around the house. “Smells delicious,” he says with a smile. “Where’s Taako?”

“Pouting in the bedroom,” Lup answers with a roll of her eyes. “I banned him from the kitchen for tonight so he could get some rest. He’s still a little sick, after all.” She wipes her hands on the apron around her waist and Barry passively notices that it’s one of his own.

He laughs, placing a hand casually on Lup’s shoulder as he leans over her to take a look at the soup simmering on the stove. “Are those potatoes in there? Green onion, too. I didn’t think I ever had those,” he says.

Lup shrugs with a sly grin. “I took a little trip down to the market to pick up a few things I needed,” she answers. “Just a few vegetables, really. Wanted them fresh, and you seem to have a limited supply.”

“I’ve never been much of a fan,” Barry admits. “Vegetables are too bland.” He takes a step back so Lup can shed her apron, and she turns the heat off on the soup. “Looks like you’re nearly finished. I’m gonna go change out of my work clothes and grab Taako so we can eat.”

“Sounds like a plan, babe,” Lup answers, and Barry turns before the pink flush can reach his face. She’s called him that before, but he tries not to dwell on it too hard; he’s heard her call Taako babe, too, but that doesn’t stop him from having a subconscious reaction to it.

Lup watches as Barry ducks into his bedroom and shuts the door behind him, chuckling softly. What a nerd, she thinks as she idly stirs the soup pot to keep it from sticking to the bottom. She sets the table quickly and fills three bowls with the soup. She’s testing the temperature of the bread when Barry reemerges, making his way to the table and taking a seat. “Taako coming?” Lup asks.

Barry shakes his head. “He was asleep, and I don’t have the heart to wake him,” he answers with a little smile. “I figured I should let him rest.”

Lup laughs a little and seats herself across the table from Barry, poking at her soup a bit with her spoon before taking a bite. “Let him sleep. It’ll help him get better,” she says. “How was work?”

Barry takes a bite of the soup as well, humming appreciatively. “Same as usual,” he answers. “A friend of mine actually came in today with her son. He had a cold that wouldn’t go away, and we got to chatting while my boss went to find her some medicine.”

Lup glances up. “Yeah? What did you talk about?”

“Well, she works at a bar down the street from where I work, and she mentioned that the owner was struggling,” Barry explains. “Their best bartender quit because of his family issues and now everyone else is working overtime. I didn’t give any names, but I mentioned that I might have a friend who was looking for a job.” He meets Lup’s gaze, looking a little apprehensive. “I know you and Taako haven’t decided whether you’re gonna hang around when he gets better, but I thought, if you  _ did _ decide to stay, that maybe this would be a good opportunity-”

“We’re staying,” Lup interrupts before Barry can ramble any further. She’s smiling, half out of amusement and half out of excitement. “We, uh, we talked about it a little bit last night and this afternoon, and we decided that we’re going to stay.”

Barry’s eyes light up, his tentativeness forgotten. “Really?” he sputters, looking for a moment like he didn’t believe her before a grin splits open on his face. “That’s… that’s fantastic!”

He stands up, his chair skidding out behind him, and walks around the table to give Lup a hug. She laughs as he pulls her out of her chair and into his arms, and she hugs him back. He lets her go after a few seconds, still grinning. “So, about that job,” Lup begins.

“Oh, yeah! Sorry,” he says quickly, taking a step back and smiling sheepishly. “Well, uh, Lucretia told me that all you had to do was show up and ask for Ren, and she’d tell you what to do from there.”

Lup grins wide and says, “Great, I’ll go tomorrow. Just leave me the address in a note or something and I can go talk to her. Fuck, it’s been awhile since I’ve had a real interview. Maybe I’ll have Taako help me practice…”

“I’m sure they’ll love you,” Barry assures her, giving her that soft and sweet smile again. “Lucretia said she would put in a good word for you via my recommendation, and you’re right up Ren’s alley. The bar can get hectic, with all the drunkards that come in, so she needs someone who can stand up to them ad hold their own in case things get hairy. She pays decently and from what I’ve heard, her employees are all pretty friendly. I thought you’d be perfect for the job.”

Lup smiles, a grateful smile. “Thanks. I’ll be sure to nail this interview so I can finally start saving some real money again,” she says, and begins to eat again with a vigor, eager to finish her dinner so she can prepare for what the next day would bring.

 

Lup stands outside the doors of the bar Barry had told her about, nervously fingering the pendant around her neck. It’s dingy, like she expected, an older building with saloon-style doors that makes her feel like she’s standing in an old western town from the movies. The sign above the doors reads  _ The Davy Lamp _ , and while Lup doesn’t know exactly what that means, it sends up a spark of anxiety as she realizes that this is it, she was really going to do this.

It has been decades since Lup has bothered to properly interview anywhere. She’d given up on the hope of having a permanent job long ago, and her mind struggles to recall memories of her past job experience. After all, her resume is pretty sparse and her job experience is pathetic. A lot of things are riding on her doing well. Shaking her head, she pushes the thoughts from her head and strides through the doors, letting them swing shut behind her.

The bar is fairly quiet this early in the morning, mostly filled with people coming in to gamble or catch up on the gossip. There’s a group of women in the corner hatting animatedly and sharing a few bottles of cheap-looking wine, and a handful of older men sitting around the circular table playing poker and eating mozzarella cheese sticks from a small basket. Lup makes her way over to the bar, which is mostly empty. Standing at the bar is a middle-aged woman, idly wiping crumbs from the countertop. She reaches up to brush a lock of bold white hair from her dark face, glancing up when she spot Lup approaching. She offers a little smile, laugh lines crinkling at the corners of her eyes. “Good morning, what can I do for you?” she asks. Her voice is slightly deep and friendly, with a soothing edge that Lup likes almost immediately.

“My friend Barry told me about a job opening?” Lup says, sliding into one of the open bar stools. “He told me to ask for Ren.”

Realization dawns on the woman’s face, and she nods. “Oh, you’re the one Barry mentioned yesterday! My name’s Lucretia, I’m a friend of his,” she explains, holding out a hand. Lup shakes it with a small grin. “Wait here, I’ll go grab Ren for you.” She sets her cloth down on the counter and turns around, exiting through a swinging door behind her. Lup can see the kitchen through the open door, bustling with cooks in white aprons, and she bites her lip. Soon, she tells herself. Soon I’ll work in a real kitchen.

Lucretia returns a minute later with another woman trailing behind her, and she offers Lup a cheeky wink as she crosses the floor to tend to another customer. Lup watches her for a moment before turning to who she assumes is Ren, standing up to greet her properly.

Ren is a tall and slender woman, with grayish skin and dark hair pulled into a bun behind her head. She has a kind smile and she holds herself with a confidence that Lup takes note of immediately. Her skin tone, along with her pointed ears, tell Lup she’s a drow, but she doesn’t hold herself like any drow Lup’s ever meant. She looks friendly and approachable, but her square shoulders and lifted chin tell Lup she’s not a woman to be easily intimidated. Ren holds out a hand and gives Lup a firm handshake, smiling. “Nice to meet ya, Lup,” she greets, a slightly southern accent tinting her voice. “Name’s Ren, I run the place. I just have a few questions for ya. Mind if we sit?” She gestures to the open seat beside Lup.

“Go right ahead,” Lup says, sitting while Ren makes her way around the counter. “Thanks for taking the time to talk to me. Barry’s told me good things about this place.”

Ren pats the bar counter fondly. “The Davy Lamp’s my pride and joy. Founded her myself about forty years back.” She turns to face Lup, leaning one arm on the counter. “So, Lucretia tells me you moved into town recently and you’re looking for a job. She said Barry put in a good word for you,” she says.

Lup nods. “He’s a good friend of mine, showed me around town and all that,” she answered. “He told me you were looking for a new bartender and I thought I fit the bill pretty well.”

“Have you ever worked in customer service before?” Ren asks, pulling out a note pad and pen from her apron pocket and scribbling down a few notes. Lup can see her name at the top of the page.

“Yes, I’ve been cooking for travellers for over ninety years,” she responds. “The whole kit and caboodle. Cooking, waitressing, cleaning up afterward. It was kind of a two-man show.” She tries not to sound too braggy, but she can’t help the coy smile that appears on her face. She slips with ease into selling herself, saying the same things she’s said dozens of times before to get a bit of work.

Ren hums and jots down a few notes, smiling. “Barry says you can hold you own in a fight. We try to avoid fighting here as much as possible, but sometimes a little force is needed to get an unruly customer out.” She pauses and gives Lup and quick once-over. “You’re not built like a fighter. Are you a magician?”

Lup grins. “Right on the money. I’m a wizard, school of evocation. As for fighting, I’ve had my fair share of skirmishes. I worked with a lot of travelling folk, and some of them could get pretty brutal if you weren’t watching,” she explains.

Ren looks pleased to hear this, scribbling idly. “Well, you do seem to fit the mold pretty nicely. Bartending is no easy job, though. Of course, we’d give you a bit of training, but if you don’t fit the bill, it doesn’t matter how much training you have.” She leans forward in her seat a bit, looking Lup in the eye. “You have to be quick on your feet, and you have to multitask sometimes, too. You’ll have to learn to work with my team, keep the customers happy, and keep things running clean and smooth. It can get pretty busy in here, especially late at night. You sure you’re up to the task?”

Lup smirks. She’s been going non-stop since she was twelve years old, working at a place like this would be a cinch. “I can handle all of that and more,” she responds cockily.

Ren laughs, setting down her notebook. “I appreciate the confidence,” she says. “Well, how about this? I like you, you seem like a good fit for what I have in mind, but I can’t go off of word alone. Come in tomorrow at noon, and I’ll have Lucretia put you through a trial run, so to speak. Just the basics, to see how you do around the customers and what you’re capable of. If I’m satisfied with your performance, then the job is yours. ‘Course, I’ll be doing the same with my other applicants, and only one can have the position, so be sure to pull out all the stops to impress me.” She winks and stands up, sliding her notebook and pen back into her apron pockets. She gives Lup another firm handshake and bids her goodbye before returning to work, clapping Lucretia on the shoulder as she goes.

Lup lets out a breath and gathers herself up, flashing Lucretia a quick smile as she heads back toward the doors. It wasn’t a yes, but it was certainly better than a no. If Ren wanted her to put in a good first impression, then that was what she was gonna get. Lup grins and cracks her knuckles. Yeah, this was gonna be good.


	5. Intermission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lup tries to make a good impression. Taako gets better. Barry tries to keep things under control. Everyone celebrates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is more of an expository chapter before things kick into gear again. Updates are gonna start to slow down started here, since I've started school again and have less time to write. Despite this, I hope you all continue to enjoy and support this story. Drop me a comment if you liked it, they really make my day! Thanks!
> 
> Also, thank you all so much for over 100 kudos and nearly 1000 hits! You all are truly amazing.

The next morning, Lup is awake by dawn. Once she’s woken, she’s too anxious to go back to sleep, her mind frantically running over all the possibilities of how this day could go. She slips out of bed and dresses herself quietly, so as not to disturb her brother, who is still dead asleep beside her, and tiptoes into the kitchen. Her hair's a mess and she hasn’t bothered to look in the mirror yet, her brain too preoccupied to worry about her appearance this early in the morning. She fixes herself a piece of toast to take her mind off of things and give her hands something to do, sitting down on Barry’s couch and flipping open whatever book Taako had been reading the other night.

Barry gets out of bed about an hour later, followed quickly by Taako. “You look like shit, sis,” Taako quips as he plops down beside her on the couch.

Lup glowers, self-consciously combing her fingers through her hair. “Hey, Taako?”

“Yeah?”

“Shut the fuck up.” Lup closes the book and begins weaving her hair into a french braid, cursing as her curls get tangled in her fingers.

Taako laughs, standing back up and making his way around the couch. He pushes her hands away and starts to do her hair himself, carefully separating strands of her tangled hair with his fingers.

Barry picks up a muffin from a box he bought at a bakery the previous day and idly munches on it as he joins the twins in the living room. “Ready for your first day?” he asks with a grin.

Lup shrugs. “Ready as I’ll ever be,” she responds, “but I wouldn’t jump the gun too fast, mister, this is just a trial, remember? I’ll be working with Lucretia today, but no guarantees of a job. I’ll have to make a good impression first.”

“Look down for me,” Taako instructs, and Lup obliges, giving her brother better access to the back of her head so he can finish the braid. She slips an elastic hair tie off her wrist and hands it to Taako without a word, and he snatches it deftly from her fingers.

Barry raises an eyebrow. “You guys seem like you do this a lot,” he comments.

“Oh yeah, ever since we were little kids,” Lup responds, reaching up to tentatively touch the braid. Taako swats her hand away with a warning glare, and Lup grimaces and rubs the back of her hand. “It’s easier than doing it yourself, and we had lots of free time when we were travelling in the caravans.”

“Except Lup can never keep her fucking fingers away,” Taako accuses. “You’re gonna mess up all my hard work.”

Lup rolls her eyes and crosses her arms sulkily, and Barry stifles a laugh behind his hand and pops the rest of his breakfast into his mouth. “Well, I’m sure you’ll do great,” Barry says, standing up. “By the end of the day, they’ll be begging you to take the job.” He slips his arms into his work robe, leaning down to pick up his bag and pull the strap over one shoulder.

Lup cracks a smile at this, trying not to move her head too much as Taako ties the elastic to the end of her braid. “You know it, babe. Ren’s not gonna know what hit her,” she replies boastfully. “Have fun at work!”

“I’ll try my best,” Barry laughs, heading for the door and closing it with a wave of his hand behind him.

Taako takes a step back, admiring his work for a moment before he announces that he’s finished. “Now, don’t fucking touch it okay? You’ll mess it up before you ever get to Ren’s place,” he says, tugging on a few strands of the braid to loosen them up.

Lup sighs and stands up, swishing her head from side to side and feeling the braid hold. “Yeah, yeah, I got it, ‘Ko. Stop being such a mom,” she teases. She pulls the braid over one shoulder and hums; it’s been over a year since her last haircut, and the braid reaches down to her waist now.

“When are you leaving to go over to the Davy Lamp?” Taako asks, walking across the house to the kitchen and snagging a muffin of his own.

Lup glances at the clock, which reads half past eight in the morning. “About three hours or so,” she answers. “I’m supposed to be there at noon, and I want to be a little early.”

Taako coughs something into his shoulder that sounds suspiciously like “nerd”, but Lup chooses to ignore it, tossing the braid back over her shoulder. Taako tosses a muffin to her, which she deftly catches in both hands. She takes a bite and hums appreciatively; she hadn’t even thought about eating yet. “Thanks, I don’t think I would’ve remembered to eat otherwise,” she says around a mouthful of muffin.

Taako quirks an eyebrow at her. “Anxious?” he guesses.

Lup nods. “I haven’t really ever applied for a job like this before. I have to make myself look good today, or it’s over. Guess I’ve just got a little pre-performance jitters,” she says with a soft chuckle.

Taako laughs. “You’re gonna be great, Lulu, don’t worry,” he assures.

Lup scoffs and throws Taako a glare. “I told you not to call me that anymore,” she chides, and Taako cackles at the embarrassed flush that appears on her face.

“Yeah, but just because you say it doesn’t mean I’m gonna listen,” he says, flipping his hair with an irritating smirk as he slips out of the kitchen and into the bedroom.

Lup rolls her eyes, fighting the fond smile that tugs at her lips, and plops down in one of Barry’s plush armchairs to pass the hours before she would need to leave for The Davy Lamp. She flips through one of his astronomy books for half an hour before Taako reemerges from the bedroom with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders and his hair done up in a loose bun atop his head. He lays down on the couch with his feet up and levitates a book in front of his face, silently keeping Lup company for the remaining hours before she was due to leave. She pulls on a nice-looking blouse and a pair of jeans before she leaves the house, knowing that Ren will have a uniform prepared for her when she arrives at The Davy Lamp, and double-checks Taako’s braid to make sure it doesn’t look too disheveled before grabbing her bag and coat and bidding Taako goodbye.

“You’re gonna kill it, sis!” He calls to her from the couch as she hastily walks out the door, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

She sets a leisurely pace, having left with plenty of time to walk, and admires the scenery around her, unobstructed, for the first time since she arrived. The neighborhood that Barry lives in is quaint and safe-looking, with children playing freely in the front lawns of houses without fear of danger. Lup smiles as she watches a few of them kick a ball back and forth, screaming excitedly as they shoved past each other. Just outside the little neighborhood is a road, the only one in town, which runs straight through the center of the town and stretches into the distance. A few lazy cars come through once in awhile, but for the most part the road is deserted. Lup walks along the edge of the street, careful to keep out of the way of potential vehicles and bicyclists, passing by a handful of convenience stores and repair shops before reaching The Davy Lamp. She pushes open the saloon-style doors and makes her way to the bar, walking the thin walkway between sections of round tables and booths that cut through the center of the building. A few people are around already despite the early time of day, most of them nursing plates of home-cooked food over a friendly conversation or card game. It’s relatively quiet, soft music playing in the background as a piano player entertains from a far corner.

Lucretia is once again manning the bar, and smiles at her sweetly as Lup approaches. “Welcome back,” she greets in that warm tenor voice Lup heard the previous day. “Ready to get started?”

Lup nods. “Ren told me she would find me a uniform to use for today,” she says, and Lucretia reaches underneath the counter and pulls a plastic package with a crisp, fresh uniform inside.

“You can use the bathroom to change while I make a round,” Lucretia says, sliding the package to Lup and quickly turning back to her customers.

Lup takes the package and slips into the women’s room to change clothes, pulling on The Davy Lamp’s modest uniform. It’s simple, a pair of black slacks and a white shirt with a black half-apron to wear around her waist, filled with big pockets to hold all of the essentials she’ll need to perform her job. Giving herself a quick once-over in the mirror, she leaves the bathroom and heads back to the bar. Lucretia is already waiting for her, and pops the bar door open to let Lup in.

“We’ll keep it simple today,” Lucretia says, leading Lup down the length of the bar, “just a few hours of work should suffice. I’m just going to go over a few basics of the job. Taking orders and conveying them to the kitchen, keeping tabs on customers, and maybe a little drink mixing if we have time near the end.” She smiles, and Lup nods in return, feeling a little flutter of nervousness.

She pushes that flutter down and puts on a casual expression, one hand on her hip. “Hit me,” she says, and Lucretia’s smile morphs into something a bit more mischievous.

“A commendable attitude,” She says.

Lucretia runs Lup through the process of running the bar at a basic level, showing her how to write orders down on a pad of paper she provides and giving her tips on interacting with the customers. Lup tries to absorb as much information as possible, and puts on her best show when it’s her turn to interact with the customers. This part is easy, she thinks, just like in the caravans. She keeps it light-hearted and a little sarcastic, bantering with tenants as Lucretia takes notes from behind her. Every once in awhile, Ren pops her head in for a few minutes to see how things are going, but for the most part it’s just Lup and Lucretia. By the end of the night, Lup has fallen into a comfortable routine, and Lucretia seems pleased with her. At three o’clock, Lucretia announces that she has enough information for Ren to make a decision. “I’m going to go let Ren know how it went,” she says with an encouraging smile, and disappears into the kitchen.

Lup lets out a breath and goes to the bathroom to change back into her regular clothes, and by the time she reemerges, Ren is waiting for her. “Hi, Lup,” she greets with a smile, and pats the seat next to her. Lup sits, and Ren pulls out Lucretia’s notepad, flipping through a few pages. “Now then, let’s talk for a bit.”

 

“I got the job!”

Lup grins widely as she bursts through Barry’s house door, her hair coming free of her braid a bit as she does. Taako jumps in surprise from where he is sitting at the kitchen table, and the small fire he was tinkering with magically vanishes.

“Fuck, you scared the shit out of me,” he swears, running a hand through his hair with a frazzled expression.

Lup casts him an apologetic glance but is too ecstatic to do anything more as she turns to look at Barry. He looks similarly surprised, his mouth open in a small ‘o’ as her words sink in. “You got it?” He echoes, leaning forward in his chair.

Lup’s smile widens and she nods emphatically. “Ren gave it to me right after I finished working,” she states, tilting her chin up proudly.

Barry laughs and stands up, pulling her into a quick hug. “Congratulations!” He says as he pulls back. “I knew you’d do great.”

“Good work, sis. Never doubted you for a moment,” Taako adds.

Lup chuckles, one hand still on Barry’s shoulder. “I start my first official shift in a few days. After a couple of weeks, I think we’ll have enough saved up to put down a payment on a real apartment!” She grins excitedly at Taako. “We gotta start house hunting, bro!”

Taako glances up, eyes wide. “Now? Don’t get ahead of yourself, Lulu.”

Barry chuckles. “Why don’t we all slow down a little? It’s shopping day, and I could use some fresh air after work this morning. What do you guys say?” He asks, glancing between the twins.

“Sounds like a plan, my dude,” Taako answers, pushing himself to his feet with a grunt. Lup smiles; he’s been doing much better the last few days, his fever having completely disappeared and his coughing down to a reasonable level after a few weeks of recuperating. He was still taking it easy, for now, but Lup suspects he’ll be back to one hundred percent very soon.

Lup smiles at Barry and nod, adjusting her bag on her shoulder. “Yeah, a little air sounds like a good idea,” she agrees. “Ren’s an angel for giving me a job, but The Davy Lamp isn’t the most refreshing of establishments.” Her smile morphs into a grin at that, and Barry laughs lightly.

The three of them leave the house in high spirits, joking and jibing as they walk. Lup hasn’t felt this happy in a long time, she thinks, than she does now. Things are looking up. Taako is better, she has a job, they’re going to get an apartment and make a real life for themselves. They have friends, now, people they can trust and go to when they need help. It’s more a support system than Lup has ever had, even back in her childhood living with her aunt and learning to cook. She feels content, like she’s accomplishing something impressive despite knowing that this is the way regular people live all over the world.

Lup blinks, realizing she’s fallen silent. Barry and Taako are caught up in what seems to be a very animated conversation, Taako gesturing boisterously while Barry watches in amusement. Catching her eye, Barry grins briefly before returning to the conversation.

There it is again, she thinks, that stutter in her heart that she gets sometimes around Barry. It makes her feel warm and giddy, like a middle-schooler with a first crush. It’s embarrassing, really, but Lup can’t help but relish it. She blinks, trying to cue herself back into the conversation.

“Nah, Barold, transmutation isn’t like that. Science isn’t really my thing, ya dig? It’s more like… uh… I touch a bowl of sugar and decide I want it to be salt instead, and then it just is. No chemistry necessary, compadre,” Taako is saying, and Lup snorts. Of course.

Barry frowns. “But that’s exactly what I mean! Transmutation magic changes the chemical makeup of anything you choose into any other thing you want it to be. You’re fundamentally changing the material,” he says.

Lup squeezes herself between the two boys, an arm around each shoulder. “Why don’t we just agree that both of you are massive nerds and leave it at that?” She suggests with a sly grin.

Taako looks affronted, crossing his arms. “Nerd? I’ve never been so insulted. And by my own sister, no less! Mutiny!” He exclaims, throwing his arms up and knocking Lup’s hand from around his shoulders. Lup snickers into her palm.

Barry flushes pink and ducks his head a bit. “I wouldn’t say nerd-”

“Oh please, you’re the hugest nerd I’ve ever laid eyes on,” Lup teases, arm still casually slung over Barry’s shoulder.

“I was just saying that chemistry and transmutation magic are pretty similar,” Barry interjects, still looking a little sheepish and embarrassed.

Lup sighs wistfully and gives his shoulder a squeeze before stepping forward to walk next to Taako. “Sweet, adorable Barry. Never change,” she says as she does, and flips her head sassily, braid swishing behind her back. Taako fights to control the snickers the fall from his lips, one hand covering his mouth while the other fists in the fabric of his shirt.

When the three of them reach the market, it’s overflowing with people. It’s just as busy, if not busier, as it was when Barry first brought her here, and Lup whistles lowly. “Pretty crowded, huh?” She comments.

Taako grimaces. “Too many fucking people,” he grumbles, but he looks completely relaxed despite his words.

Barry laughs. “Yeah. A lot of shops restocked their wares this morning, and everyone wants first pick,” he explains. “We’ll be fine as long as we stick toget - what the, Taako?”

“Gotta go find something be back later bye!” Taako calls as he promptly disappears into the crowd, melding into the throngs of people seamlessly.

Barry sighs loudly, rubbing a hand over his face. “Well, so much for sticking together,” he says.

Lup laughs brightly. “Don’t worry about him, he’ll find us,” she assures. She reaches out and links her arm with Barry’s. “C’mon, you have some shopping to do, right?” Barry begins to sputter a reply, but Lup doesn’t listen, pulling Barry into the crowd towards where she knows the produce stands are located. “I’ll help you find your shit and then we can wait for Taako. Sound good?”

“... Fine.”

 

It’s at least an hour and a half later when Lup and Barry return to the market’s entrance, both of them laden with bags of fresh vegetables and pastries. Lup nibbles on a scone idly, glancing around for Taako’s familiar blond head. She spots him by the entrance of the market, leaning against the wall with a small bag in his hand. She elbows Barry softly, pointing.

“What’s the bag for, little brother?” Lup calls as she approaches him.

Taako glowers at the nickname. “Spell components,” he answers. “Weird shit. Copper, colorful dust, alcohol. I don’t pretend to know why the fuck I need them, but whatever.” He shrugs. “Get everything you need?”

Barry nods, hefting a bag higher on his shoulder. “And more,” he answers with a little laugh.

The three of them are content as they walk back to Barry’s house, and as they walk through the front door, Taako stifles a yawn. “Man, walking sure takes it outta ya,” he quips, blinking.

Lup chuckles and pushes Taako towards the bedroom with one hand. “Go sleep, we can put the groceries away,” she says, then turns to unload her bags onto Barry’s counter.

“I’m not a kid,” Taako mumbles, but he already looks half asleep, and doesn’t resist when Lup nudges him forward. He shuffles into the bedroom and closes the door behind him, leaving Lup and Barry to clean up and put away the groceries.

Barry hums a soft tune under his breath as he moves around the kitchen, filling his pantries with the goods they’d bought that day. “Congratulations again on getting the job. I knew you could do it. You’ll have the whole place eating out of your hands in no time,” he says, sliding a loaf of bread onto a shelf.

Lup laughs, bumping him teasingly with her elbow as she passes by. “What can I say? I know how to put on a show,” she teases back. “Let’s be real here, though. Do you really think we’ll be able to pull this off? A part-time job working in a bar is hardly a living wage.” She casts Barry a pointed look as she opens the refrigerator door and stows a bag of fresh fruit inside.

“Well, Taako will be getting a job eventually too, right?” Barry points out. “As long as you two are frugal, which I’m certain you are, then I don’t see why you can’t have your own apartment. It’s just a matter of saving up. Until the two of you earn the money you need to put down a deposit on an apartment, you can stay here.” He crumples up a plastic bag and tosses it into a growing pile, turning to glance at Lup. “Take all the time you need.”

Lup feels herself soften under Barry’s reassuring words, and she smiles, soft and sincere. “If you offered the same deal to just anyone you met on the street, you’d be dead broke. You know that?”

Barry snorts out a laugh, reaching up to push his glasses up on his nose. “Yeah, well, I don’t extend this kind of deal to just anyone. Only the special ones,” he replies, and despite herself, his words make Lup feel warm.

“Don’t go getting all sappy on me now, Barold,” she deflects, turning around so he can’t see her compromised expression. She’s got a silly grin on her face that doesn’t seem to want to go away, and she knows she must look like a dumbass, giddy as she is.

“I’m, like, seventy percent sap,” says Barry, grinning.

“Yeah, and the other thirty percent is nerd,” Lup shoots back with a grin.

Barry pouts. “Mean.”

Lup fights back a snicker and finished emptying her bags, tossing them with the rest of the plastic accumulating in the corner and making her way to the bedroom. “Only the best for my dearest of friends,” she jibes, flipping her braid over her shoulder as she goes.’

She creaks the door open silently, taking a quick peek to see if Taako is asleep. He is, still dressed in his outside clothes and his ponytail still in tact. His shoes are haphazardly strewn at the bed’s side, and Lup picks them up and sets them aside so he won’t trip on them upon awakening. There’s a book lying open and face-down on the bedside table, and Lup quickly dog-ears the page and closes it to keep the spine from getting damaged, rifling through the hoard of texts Taako has accumulated in the few weeks they’ve stayed here. She pulls out a particularly interesting-looking one and sets it aside before turning to look at her brother again. Taako's lying on his side, his legs and arms curled in towards his body in an adorable manner. The covers are bunched up around his waist, and Lup chuckles quietly as she leans over and tugs them up to his neck. “You’re a mess,” she whispers fondly as she pulls away. She sits down in a chair beside the bed and grabs the books he set aside, crossing her legs, and begins to read.


	6. Scare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are going well. Almost too well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with another chapter! Hope y'all enjoy it, and be sure to leave me your thoughts when you finish! Thanks!

Days come and go in comfort for Lup as she slips into a steady work routine. Having her first paycheck in her hands in a surreal experience, and she spends the better part of half an hour just looking at the numbers on her pay stub. She’s fairly confident she’s never made this much money in just a few weeks, and she immediately stores the money away for a future apartment deposit. She shows the small stack of green bills to Taako, who utters a soft “Holy shit,” under his breath upon seeing the number printed on the stub. Lup thinks that if this keeps up, they’ll have enough money for a payment in no time at all.

In the end, it’s another two months before Lup and Taako finally decide they’ve saved enough to safely spring for an apartment together. Taako is back to full health and already on the search for a job of his own, but it’s slow going. With no job experience and no references, people are pretty slow to hire him. He tries his best not to get too pessimistic, focusing his extra time on searching for a sufficient apartment.

Barry helps him when he can, listing off the pros and cons of difference features. One bedroom versus two, different kitchen setups and sizes, those kinds of things. In the end, Lup and Taako go on a few tours and settle on a tiny but comfortable studio apartment. The kitchen is cramped but has enough cabinet space for all the cooking supplies Taako dreams of filling it with, and a nice big oven for Lup to bake with. The apartment has a single large bedroom, and after a bit of searching they find a matching set of beds to fill it with along with a single dresser. It’s not ideal, but it fits everything they own. Barry tells them that it will fill in more the longer they live there, though Lup finds it hard to believe that she will ever own enough items to fill a whole apartment with.

Days pass, then weeks, as Lup and Taako adjust to their new surroundings and fill it with new belongings. They make frequent trips to the market searching for cheap furniture, and Magnus hooks them up with a couch and kitchen table, along with two mismatched chairs.

Barry drops by often to drop off little housewarming gifts or just to see how things are going, and Lup is constantly grateful for his calming presence and advice. It makes the transition easier knowing she has a support system now, and between Taako, Barry, Magnus, Ren and Lucretia, she feels supported from all sides. It’s a warm feeling, and Lup has never felt like she belonged anywhere more than she does in this decrepit little town. By the way Taako’s hitting it off with the shopkeepers and civilians of this town, she can tell he feels the same way.

By the time the next month’s rent is due, Taako and Lup have made their apartment into something fairly homely. An old but comfortable couch sits in the middle of the apartment, a small coffee table set in front of it with a sparsely-filled bookshelf up against the wall housing a cluster of cook books and scientific texts Barry’s lent her. Lup buys a camera and starts to take photos, filling up the empty space with frames of silly pictures and scenic backdrops.

Work runs smoothly. Taako eventually does find a job working in a clothing store, and as much as he gripes about it, the pay is decent and the job itself isn’t so bad that he feels the desire to leave too quickly. Lup finds a great deal of satisfaction in her bar job, and gets to know some of the other employees working there. Aside from Lucretia, there’s a high school student named June who works in the kitchen, washing dishes and bussing tables. She’s sweet and friendly, and always says hello when Lup comes back into the kitchen for supplies. Lup appreciates how dedicated the people here are to making her feel welcome in her new job.

“I’m heading out, Ren! Sure you don’t need me for anything?” Lup calls into the kitchen, her bag thrown over her shoulder.

Ren pokes her head out of the little office behind the bar. “All good here, honey! You be safe on the way home!” She answers, waving.

Lup waves back before turning and opening the door to the bar to let herself out. She slides her hands into her pockets and glances around; it’s late in the evening and the bar is starting to get crowded. In the corner table, Magnus waves from where he and a group of people are invested in a game of high-card draw. She recognizes a few of them as regulars, and she chuckles and gives him a wave in return as she slides outside and turns toward the apartment complex. It’s lively out here, too, crowds walking up and down the sidewalks and across the thin streets as a few cars pass by. Lup takes a deep breath and hums contentedly, flicking a curl of blonde hair over her shoulder. The lively, friendly atmosphere is refreshing and calming, and she feels at ease.

As she leaves the main town and approaches the complex about fifteen minutes after leaving work, her stone of farspeech chimes from her pocket. She pulls it out and taps on it to answer the call. “This is Lup,” she says.

_ “Lup? _ ” Taako’s voice comes out of the stone.  _ “Are you still at work?” _

Lup frowns; it’s unlike Taako to be so to-the-point. “Nah, I just got off. What’s up?” She asks.

_ “I just got a call from a friend of Barry’s. Merle, I think? Anyway, he told me Barry’s in the hospital.” _

Lup feels her heart drop into her stomach, and her grip on the stone of farspeech tightens so hard that her knuckles whiten. For a few seconds, she can’t seem to say anything, until she finally musters up a, “What?”

She hears Taako saying something in the background, but it's too muffled to hear.  _ “Yeah, apparently something happened at work. I don’t know the details. Magnus is driving me there as I speak. Are you close?” _ He asks.

Lup glances around quickly, spotting the hospital’s spire a few blocks down. “Close enough. I’ll be there in twenty,” she says quickly, and doesn’t even bother saying goodbye before she hangs up the call and starts to run. The giddy high she’s been nursing for the last few weeks is suddenly gone, replaced with an inexplicable worry and terror that settles in the pit of her stomach and refuses to move. Part of her curses Taako for not having more information, as irrational as that is. The other part of her is frantically going over the possibilities in her head: Did he injure himself? Get in a fight? No, she chides herself, Barry was too nice to ever provoke any sort of violence. Was there some sort of accident? She prays it isn’t serious, whatever it is.

By the time she finally reaches the hospital, she’s out of breath and frazzled. Her hair is coming undone from her ponytail, strands hanging in front of her eyes. She pushes them away from her face as she approaches the receptionist’s desk. “I’m here for Barry Bluejeans,” she says after taking a few seconds to catch her breath. “Can I see him?”

“Let’s see here,” the receptionist says, quickly looking Barry’s name up on her computer. “Yes, he’s taking visitors. He’s just down the hall, room 324.”

Lup thanks the receptionist quickly and heads down the hall, immediately spotting Taako waiting outside on one of the chairs. He glances up as she approaches, looking relieved. “There you are. Did you make it okay?”

“I’m fine. What’s wrong with Barry?” Lup answers quickly.

Taako takes Lup by both shoulders. “Before you freak out, he’s fine. The nurses already ran a bunch of tests and now they’re just watching to make sure he’s not injured too badly,” he says quickly. “He fainted at work this afternoon and sprained his wrist pretty badly. The doctor says it’s because of illness. His immune system was weakened due to overwork or something, and he developed a fever, but he’s okay now. You cool?”

Lup inhales sharply. “Fever?” She echoes. “Is it-”

“I don’t know, but that’s what it sounds like,” Taako interrupts. “Anyway, that doesn’t matter right now. Barry’s fine, okay? Take a fuckin’ chill pill before you go in, you look like a mess.”

Lup pouts and runs her fingers through her bangs quickly. “Well, it’s your fault. All I knew was that Barry was in the hospital and I was in the dark. Forgive me for being a little worried!” She says.

Taako rolls his eyes and flips Lup around by the shoulders so she’s facing the hospital door. “Shut up and go see your boyfriend already,” he says, moving over to the door and reaching for the handle-

“He’s not my-” Lup begins, but Taako opens the door before she can finish.

“I’m back,” he announces, sweeping into the room with Lup on his heels. Looking around, she can see that the room is already fairly full; Magnus and Lucretia are there, sitting on the far end of the room. Next to Magnus is a strong-looking woman with a long mane of tight brown curls falling over her shoulders. A headband keeps her ringlets out of her face, and she’s leaning into Magnus’s side. At the foot of the bed sits two short men, one a dwarf with an impressive gray beard, the other a gnome with a mess of red hair and a neatly groomed mustache. Based on Barry’s stories, she guesses them to be Merle and Davenport, college friends of his from years back. Then she turns her attention to the bed in the center of the circle.

Barry is propped up in a sitting position, a couple of pillows behind his back. His left hand has a black brace on it, and his other hand has an IV needle in it, probably feeding him painkillers. He looks up as the door opens, breaking into a broad smile when his gaze lands on Lup.

Lup lets out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. Barry looks like garbage, a black bruise blooming on the side of his head and his eyelids drooping sluggishly. She’s never been more relieved to see him. Walking towards the bed, she slides into a chair beside Taako near Barry’s head. “Hey, Barr, how’re ya feeling?” She asks.

“Sleepy,” Barry replies, and Lup smiles softly. Of course. “Sorry if I scared you. I didn’t think I was gonna faint.”

Lup’s smile fades. “Why didn’t you say anything? Taako said you had a fever, and you still decided to go to work,” she says.

Barry glances away. “I didn’t think it was serious,” he says.

“Barry, you’re a shitty liar,” Lup deadpans, and Barry winces a little. “You’re a fucking doctor, like hell you didn’t know. You caught Taako’s fever, didn’t you?” Barry doesn’t answer, which is all the confirmation Lup needs.

Magnus pipes up then, looking confused. “How is that possible? Taako hasn’t been sick for at least two months, right?” He points out.

“A virus that nasty can inhabit a body for weeks before symptoms surface,” Lucretia says. “Barry had a lot of exposure to it, so it’s not impossible to conclude that he picked it up from Taako.”

Merle pushes himself to his feet with a grunt and stretches his back. “Well, the important thing is that Barry’s gonna be fine. In a couple of weeks he’ll be back on his feet,” he says, dusting off his pants briefly before moving to give Barry a pay on the shoulder. “I gotta get back to my kids, I left ‘em with a babysitter and I can’t keep her waiting too long.” He turns to Davenport and waves him over. “C’mon, Dav, I’ll give ya a lift home,” he says.

Davenport nods and stands up as well, offering Barry a quick smile. “Get better soon, bud,” he says, heading for the door. Merle follows behind him.

Lucretia picks up her purse off the floor. “I wish I could stay, but I have to leave as well. Morning shift.” She shares a knowing glance with Lup and smiles, slinging the purse over her shoulder.

“Thanks for dropping by, and sorry again for the scare,” Barry calls after them as the three of them file out the door, Lucretia closing it quietly behind her.

Barry turns to the dark-haired woman now, looking sheepish. “I didn’t put you out, did I, Julia?” He asks.

Julia shakes her head, her curls bobbing. “Not at all. I worked the morning shift today, so I was just hanging around our apartment when Magnus got the call,” she explains. “You really gave us a fright, though. You should take better care of yourself.” She raises her eyebrows sternly at Barry, who offers up a small, embarrassed smile in return.

“Sorry, I guess I thought I could handle it myself. Rolled the dice badly on that one,” he says.

Magnus drapes an arm around Julia’s shoulders, leaning forward in his seat. “You better be sorry. I had to leave my weekly poker sesh for this,” he jokes, a grin breaking out on his face as he speaks. Lup suppresses a snort of laughter behind her hand.

As she does, the door creaks open, and Lup turns to see a single doctor standing in the doorway, clipboard in hand. His dark skin and hair contrast his white scrubs, gray eyes blinking in what appears to be surprise. Lup is momentarily stunned; he is, for lack of better words, extremely handsome, all long legs and sharp cheekbones and long black dreadlocks.

The doctor clears his throat briefly. “Excuse me, I didn’t think anyone would still be here this late at night,” he says, his surprise fading as he assumes a professional air. “I just wanted to do some last-minute tests on Mister Bluejeans before we call it a night.”

“Oh, by all means,” Taako all but purrs, and Lup snaps her head to the side in disbelief. Taako hasn’t spoken a word since they came into Barry’s room, but now he’s leaning forward in his seat, a predatory gleam in his eyes. She tries to mask her disgust behind a tight-lipped smile.

“Really?” She hisses, and Taako just shrugs, grinning mischievously. Across from her, Magnus looks equal parts confused and appalled. Julia looks like she’s trying to hold in her laughter.

The doctor nods. “My name is Mack Kravitz, but just Kravitz is fine,” he says as he makes his way to the other side of the bed where Barry is hooked up to a few monitors.

Taako sits up. “Tell me, doc, will he ever walk again?” He asks, with the biggest shit-eating grin Lup has ever seen on his face. She groans and lets her face drop into her hands. Insufferable.

Kravitz looks confused, hesitating in his work for a few seconds to cast Taako a confused glance. “Well, uh, his legs are fine, so I think he’s safe on that front,” he answers, and Lup can tell that he’s unsure how much of what Taako is saying is serious and how much of it is a joke.

Taako snorts out a laugh, covering his grin with his hand. Shooting her brother a quick glare, Lup decides to intervene. “Thank you for all your help, Dr. Kravitz,” she says, attempting to rescue the poor man from her brother’s horrible, unabashed flirting. “How long before he’s back on his feet?”

Kravitz examines his clipboard for a moment. “Well, his sprain is pretty bad,” he starts, frowning. “He’ll have to wear a brace for at least two weeks to ensure it heals properly. We’ll prescribe some painkillers for him to take home with him, so that shouldn’t be a hindrance. As for the fever, we’ll keep him a few days to make sure he’s recovering properly before we clear him to go home, and even then he’ll need to take it easy,” he says, setting down his clipboard. He reaches for Barry’s injured hand, grasping it delicately and gently bending it in a few directions. Barry winces.

“Well, that’s good news, at least,” Julia says. She glances at her watch, and sighs, looking up at Magnus. “We should get going,” she murmurs. “I’m working the dawn shift tomorrow, which means a four am wake-up call.”

Magnus nods, glancing at the twins. “Will you two be okay getting back on your own?” he asks.

Taako leans back in his chair with a grin. “No problem, kemosabe. We can handle ourselves just fine,” he answers. “Go do your shit.”

Magnus chuckles to himself and nods, standing alongside Julia and heading for the door. “See ya later, Barry,” he calls as he goes, and Julia offers up a little wave as well, following close behind. This leaves Lup and Taako alone in the room with Barry and Kravitz, who has been busying himself comparing notes on his clipboard to different monitors at Barry’s bedside.

As Magnus and Julia leave, he speaks up. “Well, your vitals look fine, and aside from a mild fever and your wrist, everything else looks healthy,” he says with a charming smile. “We want to keep you here overnight, make sure your fever goes down, but you should be free to go home tomorrow. Just be careful with that wrist for the next few weeks.”

“Will do,” Barry replies. He looks a little woozy, the painkillers in his IV kicking in and making his eyes droop. Lup let out a little sigh. This man was going to be the death of her, she just knew it.

After a few minutes, Kravitz deemed his inspection adequately complete. “I’ll be heading out now, so try to get some rest, and don’t strain that wrist too badly,” he tells Barry, before turning to the twins. “You two should head home soon as well, before it gets too dark out to walk. Visiting hours will be closing soon.”

“Whatever you say, handsome,” Taako replies silkily. Lup socks him in the shoulder, hard enough to bruise, and glowers. “Ow! What the hell?”

Lup doesn’t answer. Kravitz’s face reddens slightly under Taako’s poorly-executed compliment and coughs awkwardly into his hand. “Yes, uh, well,” he sputters, heading for the door, “keep it brief in here, I’ll be in tomorrow morning for another check-up. Good night.”

As the door falls shut behind him, Taako reaches up and rubs the tender spot on his shoulder. “What the fuck, Lup? That fucking hurt!” He hisses.

“Yeah, well, you deserve it for harassing the doctor!” Lup flings back, folding her arms. “I can’t believe you flirted with him while he was working. Real dick move, Koko.”

Taako tries to keep an offended expression, but Lup can see he’s fighting a grin. “Oh, come on, that was wimpy stuff. I could have commented about how hot his ass is.”

Barry snorts from the bed, reaching a hand up to cover his smile. “Don’t pester the doctors,” he says, but he’s terrible at hiding his amusement.

Lup doesn’t smile, rounding on Barry now. “And you. You’re a real idiot, you know that? You knew you were getting sick and you knew exactly what it was and you still didn’t get any help!” She scolds. “All you had to do was call and I would’ve helped you out, you know that. I know Magnus and Lucretia would have, too, so what the hell?”

Barry winces, having not expecting to be on the receiving end of Lup’s wrath tonight. “Well, uh, I tried to take it easy, but I had to work. Couldn’t neglect my job, y’know? They needed me there,” he attempts.

“They could have survived a few days while you recovered,” Lup insists. “Were they really so adamant that you come in even though you were clearly too sick to be working?”

Barry glances away, biting his lip. “Well, um, I couldn’t… God, I just couldn’t afford to take a day, okay?” He says, the words coming out sharper than he intended. Lup blinks, surprised.

“Barry, are you… short on cash?” She asks. The numbers didn’t add up. Barry had always insisted that he had excess resources, that it was his excess that allowed him to take in and care for strangers in need. Unless, she thinks, and feels a realization hit her hard. Oh, no. “It’s because of us,” she whispers.

Taako glances at Lup in shock. “Huh? What does that-” he begins, but Barry cuts him off, jerking himself fully upright and gesticulating wildly.

“No, it’s not that!” He says immediately, then winces. “I mean, it is, technically, but that's not the point. It’s not your fault that I’m short on money, it’s just… I had to stretch my funds thin for a little while and I’m still trying to rebuild my savings.”

Lup stares, feeling a lump of guilt settle in the pit of her stomach. Barry must pick up on her mood, because he adds, “Come on, it’s not your fault. I did what I did because I wanted to. I knew from the very beginning that I would need to budget my savings, and I knew that I would need to work extra to make up the difference afterward.” He swallows. “I just didn’t count on getting sick. Please don’t feel guilty.”

Lup glances over at Taako. He’s tight-lipped and stone-faced, but Lup knows her brother better than anyone else does. She knows he feels just as guilty as she does, hiding behind an aloof exterior. “You should have said something,” she says, turning to face Barry again. “We could have paid you back, a little at a time. We still can-”

“But I don’t want you to pay me back!” Barry interrupts. “You guys need the money more than me, to pay for your apartment. I didn’t want you to feel like you owed me anything, ‘cause you don’t.” He says this firmly, looking Lup in the eyes as he does, and the look in his eyes fends off the retorts already forming on her tongue.

Lup wars back and forth in her mind for a few seconds, contemplating. Her immediate reaction is to insist on paying Barry back for all the extra money he had to spend to take care of them, but she knows he won’t accept it, no matter what. She also knows that he’s right; they need all the money they can possibly get if they’re going to keep this apartment and have enough left over for food and utilities. Her hands were tied, and it made her crazy to think about how helpless they still were to do anything. She sighs in defeat, then nods. “Fine, have it your way, but know that I  _ am  _ absolutely going to bake you brownies the next time I’m able to visit. I won’t take no for an answer.”

Barry laughs sleepily and nods, his eyes already closed. “Mm, I won’t argue with you on that one,” he relents.

“I’m gonna make you the best fucking soup you’ve ever tasted in your measly human life,” Taako adds. Barry doesn’t reply, already drifting off to sleep. When a soft snore escapes his mouth, Lup stands up.

“C’mon, ‘Ko, let’s get home before it gets totally dark out,” she whispers.

Taako shrugs and follows her lead. “I mean, we do have darkvision,” he points out. Lup doesn’t answer.


	7. Things Pick Up Speed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry and Lup eat dinner. Taako is very, very tired.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter seven! Uni work is starting to pick up a bit so it may be a little while before I can release the next chapter, but I have big plans! I hope y'all are having fun reading! Let me know what you thought in the comments if you can.

Lup returns to the hospital the next morning with a fresh tray of brownies in her hands, as promised. She knocks on Barry’s door as she pushes it open, smiling. “You awake, Barr?”

Barry is awake, reading some sort of novel the hospital provided him. He glances up and dog-ears the page, setting it aside and nodding. He looks groggy. “Barely. Those drugs knocked me clean out, and I barely woke up in time for breakfast.” He eyes the brownies in her hands and raises an eyebrow. “You followed through.”

Lup laughs, pulling up a chair and setting the tray in her lap. “Of course I did, Barold, I never joke about brownies,” she responds, pulling a few paper plates and plastic forks out of her bag and setting them on the bed next to Barry. She peels the protective plastic wrap cover from atop the tray, a bit of steam escaping into the air. “They’re still warm,” she says with a grin, using one of the forks to move a brownie onto a plate and hand it to Barry.

“When did you find the time to make these?” He asks, eagerly digging in. He never passes up a chance to sample the twins’ food.

Lup hums. “I did some early-morning baking before the sun came up,” she answers. “Midnight is the best time for baking. It’s quiet and peaceful.”

Barry raises an eyebrow. “You must not have slept much last night.”

“Elves don’t need to sleep,” Lup points out. “Like, four hours of meditation is enough to keep us going as well as humans do on eight hours of sleep.” She pauses, grinning. “Taako and I just think sleeping is fun.”

Barry snorts, nodding. “Of course you do. Nothing about the two of you is typical,” he teases.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“Not at all. I’m rather fond of your quirks,” Barry says, and suddenly Lup forgets how to speak. It’s happened a few times now, and Lup is caught off guard every time. Barry’s an affectionate man, and he doesn’t try to hide it. He drops little compliments and fond words casually and at random, and each and every time Lup is left wondering how to respond. So she doesn’t, just musters a laugh and pretends like nothing happens.

It’s not that she doesn’t like the compliments. Quite the opposite, really. They make her feel warm, special, wanted in a way she hasn’t experienced before recently. She just doesn’t know how to respond. Call it a lack of experience, but Lup grew up around rowdy travellers and ruffians, none of whom were particularly inclined to kind words and praise. Lup can’t help but think that it’s especially different coming from Barry, who has quickly become one of the most important people in Lup’s life. The thought makes her stomach flip with excitement and nervousness.

“No Taako today?” Barry comments, breaking Lup’s train of thought.

She shakes her head. “He had to go into work early this morning,” she explains. “Said he’d come by later if he could. When’re they sending you home?”

Barry hums, glancing up as he thinks. “Later today, with any luck,” he replies. “Dr. Kravitz says my fever is down to a reasonable level, and the soreness in my wrist went down enough that I don’t need the IV anymore,” he says, lifting his needle-free hand. There’s a plain-looking band-aid covering the spot where the IV had been the previous night. “I’m down to pills now, but Dr. Kravitz says they shouldn’t make me sleepy anymore.”

“Good, you already sleep way too much,” Lup says, taking a bite of the brownie. She hums; needs more frosting.

Barry snorts. “Eight hours a night is recommended for humans,” he points out.

Lup wrinkles her nose. “Eight hours? How do humans get so much done when they have to set aside eight hours of sleep to function?” She mumbles around a mouthful of brownie.

“We’re used to it,” Barry replies with a shrug and a little grin.

Lup raises an eyebrow disbelievingly, but doesn’t press the issue. “When are you leaving the hospital?” She asks instead.

“Later this afternoon,” Barry answers. “Dr. Kravitz says that as long as I take it easy and keep up the medications to kill my sickness, I’ll be alright to go back home.”

Lup nods approvingly. “What about work?”

At this, Barry hesitates. “Well, uh, I’m supposed to take a few days off,” he answers, glancing away. “Which would normally be fine, but I, um, I’m not sure I can afford that.” His voice tapers off in volume, lowering to nearly a whisper. Lup isn’t sure she would be able to hear it if not for her elven senses. She frowns, worried.

“Well, it’s not like you can ignore the doctor’s orders,” she protests. “You need to rest, and regain your strength before you go back to work.”

Barry bites his lip. “I know, I know, but there’s only so much I can do.”

Lup purses her lips sternly. “Fine, how about this? Taako and I will bring you meals. We always have extra food in our apartment, so I’m sure we can whip you up something edible with our scraps,” she says, waving her hand dismissively. “I bet Magnus and his girlfriend would do the same if I asked them.”

“Wife, actually,” Barry corrects.

Lup points at him. “Don’t change the subject,” she chides. “His wife, then. Don’t worry about food or whatever, just take the time you need to recover and let your friends take care of the rest.”

For a few seconds, Barry says nothing, silently considering. Lup never pegged Barry for the proud type, but she supposes that anyone’s first reaction to being offered this kind of support would be to feign self-sufficiency, herself included. She knew that, if Taako hadn’t been as sick as he was, she never would have let Barry get close to her in the first place, all those months ago in the abandoned alleyway. “You don’t need to go out of your way,” Barry says at last.

Lup shakes her head. “Helping out a friend is never an inconvenience. Consider it as our way of thanking you for saving Taako’s life,” she says. “I won’t take no for an answer, so just accept it now.”

Barry chuckles, a helpless smile on his face. “I know you won’t,” he sighs, but there’s an edge of affection to his voice. “Alright, fine, I’ll take a few days off. God, this is going to be so boring, just sitting around.”

Lup laughs, nodding. “I know the feeling. I’ll drop by when I can, but between Taako and my schedules we barely have enough time left over to clean our apartment,” she says, and hums, tapping her chin with her fingers. “Maybe calling on the stone of farspeech would be easier? We’ll figure something out.”

“Don’t stress out too much about it, I know you’ll figure it out. You always do,” Barry says with a reassuring smile. “Besides, it’ll just be for a few days, and then it’ll be back to the usual.”

Lup chuckles, leaning forward and resting her elbows on her knees. “You really know how to flatter a girl, huh?” She muses.

“I try my best,” he replies with a cheeky grin, and Lup covers her mouth to stifle her giggles. Instinctively, he reaches up with his sprained hand to adjust his glasses, wincing as it moves painfully. “ _ Shit,  _ forgot about that,” he groans.

“You really fucked yourself up, huh, babe?” Lup says, a shadow of a smile on her face as she quirks an eyebrow teasingly. She glances at the clock and frowns, pushing herself to her feet and grabbing her purse.

Barry’s face falls in disappointment. “Leaving already?” He asks.

Lup flashes him an apologetic look. “I wish I could stay longer, but I’m working the lunch and dinner shifts at The Davy Lamp. Gonna be a long night, again.” She sighs and reaches down to squeeze Barry’s shoulder. “I’ll swing by your place tomorrow with dinner, ‘kay?”

“Sounds good,” Barry agrees, and Lup smiles at him one last time before leaving his hospital room. She makes a mental note to stop by the grocer on the way back to pick up some supplies, thinking,  _ I’m gonna make him the most baller casserole he’s ever tasted. _

 

“Knock knock, I’m coming in,” Lup calls as she cracks Barry’s door open. She has a casserole perched on her hip, holding it up with one hand as she holds open the door, peering around. The house is tidy and quiet save for Barry’s usual disorganized pile of scientific texts beside his coffee table and the sound of soft snoring.

Barry is asleep on the couch, a book lying face down on his chest and his head propped up on a pillow against the arm of the sofa. He looks comfortable and peaceful as Lup approaches him, silently dropping off her casserole on the kitchen table. He looks, quite frankly, adorable, though Lup cringes at the thought of the neck pain such a position might cause.

Leaning over, she gives him a little shake. “Hey, sleeping beauty, it’s time to wake up now,” she murmurs, grinning.

Barry grumbles something incohesive and shifts, and Lup has to catch the book before it goes tumbling to the floor. She sets it at her feet and turns back to Barry, who takes a deep breath and rubs at his eyes. He’s not wearing his glasses, and, feeling them missing, he gropes around for them.

Lup stifles a laugh behind her hand and retrieves the glasses from the coffee table, pressing them into his palm. “You look adorable right now, babe. I wish I had my camera with me,” she snickers.

“Lup? How’d you get in?” Barry mumbles, voice heavy with sleep. He slides his glasses onto his face and runs a hand through his hair, sitting up on the couch. He yawns behind his hand. “What time is it? I was just gonna sleep for a couple of hours.”

Lup hums and glances at the clock. “Like six fifteen. Also, I used Knock to get in. You should really magic-proof your locks before someone breaks in,” she says, straightening up and ruffling her curls with one hand. With her other hand, she lights a handful of candles to shed a bit more light into the room. “I brought food, as promised.”

Barry nods, sliding his feet off the couch and pushing himself reluctantly into a standing position. He stretches briefly, blinking. “No Taako?” he asks.

Lup frowns, and her ears droop a bit. “Nah, he’s working tonight,” she sighs, turning away and heading for the kitchen. “Our schedules never seem to match up lately. The only times I ever see him are early in the morning and in the middle of the fuckin’ night.” She shakes her head slightly; she was here to feed Barry, not gripe about how shitty is that Taako’s not around. “Anyway, it’s not a big deal. I made you a casserole. Reheats well, so you can have leftovers.” She peels the plastic from the top of the pan and sighs. It’s already cold.

Barry nods sympathetically as he follows her, straightening out his clothes. “Well, you know you’re always welcome to come over if you’re feeling lonely,” he says.

Lup chuckles, not bothering to look back. “That’s a real nice offer, Barold, but I’m not  _ lonely _ . I just miss him sometimes, is all. Besides, as much as I like having you around, no one can replace Taako.” She fiddles with the oven, setting it to preheat.

“I know, but still,” Barry presses, “it might at least help you take your mind off of things.”

Lup just shrugs noncommittally in response, rooting around Barry’s drawers for an oven mitt and checking the oven. She pulled the door open and slid the casserole inside, setting a timer for ten minutes. She still refuses to look at him, not wanting to see what was undoubted a piteous expression.

Thankfully, Barry drops the subject, instead moving to set out two places at his table while Lup pulls out serving dishes and utensils. “How’s apartment life? Everything going well?” he asks instead.

“Yeah, so far,” Lup answers. “Now that Taako has a steady income, paying rent is a lot easier. We can stretch our funds a little farther, and we’ve even started taking a little out to put into savings.” She smiles proudly at this announcement; they’ve never had savings before, and the thought that they had extra to put away for later was a comforting thought.

Barry grins broadly. “That’s great, Lup. You guys have really come a long way.” He sets down a pair of forks, one for each set, and takes a seat while Lup checks the casserole. She pulls it out carefully and sets it on the stove, using a spatula to cut it into square and move the squares onto plates.

“Thanks,” she says, carrying the bowls into the kitchen and setting one in front of Barry. “This is all new for us, and we’re still figuring things out, but it’s going well. We’re pretty busy most days, but hey, it’s not so bad. The money is certainly worth the effort.”

Barry chuckles, nodding. “I hear you. A paycheck is a great motivator,” he quips.

“I just wish our schedules coincided more. Sometimes it feels like he doesn’t even live there anymore.” Lup sighs, poking at her casserole morosely. “It’s great that he’s getting so many hours and all, but I missing hanging out with him.”

Barry frowns, biting his lip. Lup looks depressed, and he wants to do something to help, but nothing he can do or say can make up for Taako’s absence. “Well, what if I came up with something to distract you?” he suggests, glancing up to meet Lup’s gaze. She regards Barry questioningly, one eyebrow raised with a fork in her mouth. He looks almost embarrassed, a pink flush on his cheeks. “What if I took you out to dinner, sometime?” he blurts. “Sometime when you’re not working, obviously. It could maybe, y’know, help.” He trails off awkwardly, face blazing and already regretting his choice to bring it up.

Lup doesn’t look uncomfortable or offended, though. She grins slightly, a sly grin. “Barry Bluejeans, are you asking me out on a date?” she teases.

Barry breaks eye contact, looking down. “Sorry, it was a stupid idea, just forget about it.”

“No, it wasn’t stupid,” Lup assures him, stifling a smile behind her hand. “It was adorable.” She leans forward a bit, resting her chin on the backs of her crossed fingers. “Dinner sounds nice. I’m not working on Thursday night, so it’ll be just me at the apartment. Does that work?” she asks.

Barry is still blushing, but he cracks a lopsided smile and nods. “Yeah, that works. I’ll pick you up, say, around six?” he suggests.

Lup’s heart stutters with the realization that this is it, this is happening. “Sure, six,” she agrees, unable to fight the pleased smile threatening to emerge. “D’you think you’ll be feeling better by then?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” Barry assures. “My fever’s down and I’ve been coughing less and less. The doctors have me on some pretty strong antibiotics, so I’ll be back on my feet in no time.”

Lup nods appreciatively. “Your doctor seems pretty nice. Kravitz, right? My brother seems to have become quite  _ smitten _ with him,” she says with a roll of her eyes.

Barry snorts into his hand, grinning. “Yeah, I guess so. He seems like a good enough guy. Very polite, very formal. Could probably use a little loosening up if you ask me, but maybe that’s Taako’s type,” he replies with a shrug.

“Tall, dark, and handsome is right up his alley,” Lup says disdainfully. “I still can’t believe he just up and flirted like that. Disgusting, I don’t want to watch my brother yuck it up with a doctor while he’s working. That’s just rude.” She pokes at the middle of her empty plate restlessly. “Poor guy, I hope he wasn’t too uncomfortable.”

“I think he’ll be fine,” Barry assures her, standing up and taking her plate away before she can put any scratches into the bottom of the glass. he moves into the kitchen and immediately sets to work doing the dishes. “He asked about all my visitors, but he seemed extra interested in Taako. Who he was, how I know him, is he always that way, you know.”

Lup laughs aloud. “Yeah, he can be a real tool sometimes, but he’s a good guy. He’s just a little too… aggressive.” She glances at her watch and hums, standing up. “Well, I should probably get going. Taako’s gonna be home soon, and, well-”

Barry smiles. “I understand. Go see your brother, I’ll clean up here,” he says.

Lup flashes him a grateful smile. “Thanks, Barry, you’re the best,” she says, heading for the door. “I’ll see you Thursday!”

 

Lup lets out a long breath as she closes the door behind her, shivering. The fall weather was beginning to get chilly. She made a mental note to pull out a light coat from one of her still-unpacked boxes so that she could survive the oncoming winter. “Taako?” she calls, setting down her things on the kitchen table to put away later. “You here?”

“‘M in the bedroom!” comes Taako’s muffled reply. Lup walks through the kitchen, noting the piling-up dishes. She’d have to clean those later. Peeking her head into the cracked-open bedroom door, she spots Taako laying on the floor beside the bed, his face half-hidden by a pillow he’s thrown on the ground.

Lup raises an eyebrow. “Why are you on the floor?” she asks.

Taako just groans in reply, reaching up with his hands toward her. Lup sighs and rolls her eyes, walking over to him and taking his hands, but when she does, he tugs her down to the floor next to him.

Lup yelps as she’s pulled, turning to land on her butt instead of her face, and turns to glare at Taako. “Okay, now I’m on the floor. Will you tell me what’s going on now? What the fuck are you doing on the floor?”

“Tired,” Taako mumbles. “Lay down for me.”

Lup sighs tiredly but does as Taako asks, clasping her hands behind her head as she does. Taako shifts his head to lay it on her stomach, letting out a soft breath. “Mm, that’s better. My head was starting to hurt,” he murmurs. “How was work?”

“Fine,” Lup responds. “I worked the morning shift, so it was pretty quiet. Ren was there for part of it, so I got to hang out with her a bit, but for the most part it was pretty boring. You?”

“I hate my boss,” Taako complains. “All she does is yell at me to do more work. I’m only one guy!” He grumbles something else incoherent and turns onto his side, head still firmly planted on Lup’s stomach. “Did you see Barry today?”

Lup nods. “I took him a casserole,” she says.

Taako falls silent, seemingly having nothing else to ask about, and Lup swallows thickly. “He asked me on a date today,” she adds, softly, looking up at the ceiling.

Taako shoots up into a sitting position, turning his wide-eyed gaze on her. “Oh my fucking god, really?” he cries. “Tell me you said yes!”

Lup blushes under Taako’s assault of questions, picking up his discarded pillow and hugging it to her chest. “We’re going to dinner on Thursday,” she mumbles into the pillow’s soft surface. Taako looks like he’s about to burst with excitement at this revelation, which only makes Lup feel more embarrassed. “Stop giving me that creepy look, Koko!” she says.

Taako’s shit-eating grin doesn’t waver. “But how can I stop, but my sister finally got a date out of her crush?” he counters, and Lup groans, hiding her face under the pillow. “Aw, c’mon, Lulu! You’re gonna have so much fun! I’m glad he finally grew the balls to ask you out already. I was about to interfere.”

“Please don’t,” Lup interjects quickly. “I don’t need you ruling my love life, Taako. Not when you flirt with random doctors while they’re working!”

Taako’s grin only widens, and he lifts his chin smugly. “You mean catching totally hot, definitely gay doctors off guard with your charms and good looks?” he quips, flicking his hair flauntingly.

Lup grimaces. “No, I mean making nice, normal doctors uncomfortable who are only trying to do their jobs. I mean harassing nice guys in their workplace,” she scolds. “That poor doctor looked so embarrassed.”

Taako cackles. “Nah, he was totally into me. He’s just a shy one, that’s all. It’s fine, though. He works at the hospital so I probably won’t run into him again.” He sounds a little disappointed to admit that, but Lup just shakes her head.

“Whatever. My point still stands,” she mutters, “and anyway, this date isn’t that big of a deal, Taako. It’s just dinner. Once we get past the first date and see how it goes, then you can start teasing me about getting serious.”

“I bet you two kiss on the first date.”

Lup fixes Taako with a burning glare, but he is unfazed, throwing back his head with a loud cackle at seeing her frustrated expression. “For real, though,” he says once he’s calmed down, “you really like him, right?”

“... Yeah, I really do.”

Taako grins smugly. “Then it’s gonna be fine, no matter how the date goes,” he says matter-of-factly. “Honestly, you guys already act like a married couple. Might as well skip the formalities.”

Lup cracks a smile. “That’s far too fast, even for me,” she chuckles.

“Please, you take your relationships at a fuckin’ snail’s pace,” Taako scoffs.

Lup just hums in reply, moving the pillow back under her head so she can lay more comfortably on the floor. Taako lays back down as well, right next to her, and flicks his bangs out of his eyes. He seems to have calmed down again, Lup notes, watching the way Taako’s eyes droop as he stifles his yawns. “I’ve missed you,” he murmurs after a few minutes of silence. Lup feels her heart ache.

“Missed you too, little brother.”


	8. Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's date night! Barry executes an ideal date. Lup expresses past traumas. Taako hesitates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How about the new Commitment arc? I'm psyched to learn more about the McElroy's new characters, they're all so good.
> 
> As always, be sure to let me know if you liked this chapter! I had a lot of fun writing it but it was also a hard one to write. Feedback is always appreciated.

Thursday comes quickly as Lup pushes her anticipation of her first date with Barry from her mind and focuses on her work. Working in The Davy Lamp is a lot of fun, if tedious at times, and the rowdy atmosphere makes Lup feel energized and perky while she’s working. She works with Lucretia, sometimes, but most nights see her tending the bar by herself, making small talk with the customers and bantering with her coworkers.

By the time six o’clock comes around, Taako has already left to work the evening shift, leaving Lup alone to prep for her date. She frowns as she flips through her wardrobe; should she dress formally? Casually? Barry doesn’t seem like a white suit and tie kind of guy. After a few minutes’ consideration, she settles on a simple skirt and a nice blouse, the kind of outfit that could pass for casual or semi-formal.

Barry shows up just as Lup’s putting the finishing touches on her makeup, his timid knock barely reaching her ears. “Just a minute!” She yells across the apartment, quickly checking herself in the vanity mirror before heading for the door. She pulls it open, immediately cracking a smile when she spots Barry standing in the doorway. He looks adorably nervous, a crooked grin on his face as he waves to her awkwardly.

“Hey, you all ready?” he asks, fiddling with the cuff of his white button-up. He’s wearing his signature blue jeans, and Lup bites back a teasing quip. There would be time for that later.

She smiles and nods, pulling her purse up onto her shoulder and hooking her arm through Barry’s. She leads him out the door, flicking one hand to lock it behind her as she does. “So, where’re ya taking cha’girl for dinner tonight?” she asks with a little grin.

Barry chuckles, still looking a bit flustered, and says, “Well, I was thinking we could drop by Fantasy Olive Garden for a few hours. The food there is pretty decent and I, uh, have a coupon.” He admits the last bit nervously, but Lup just laughs.

“Olive Garden? Well, not the worst you could’ve done,” she says. “Sounds like fun.”

“What’s wrong with Olive Garden?” Barry asks. “I always thought it was pretty good.”

Lup muffles a snort behind her hand and glances up at Barry incredulously. “Barry. My dude. You’re great and I like you and all that, but you couldn’t tell gourmet from mediocre if I spent a year trying to teach you the difference.”

“Well, we could go somewhere a little nicer if you prefer-”

“Nah, Olive Garden is perfect,” Lup interrupts. “Lowkey and cheap. I appreciate that.” She gives Barry’s arm a cheeky squeeze, reveling in the way his cheeks go pink at the action, and asks, “How’s work?”

They fall into a comfortable conversation as Barry recounts a few work stories and Lup butts in with a few of her own, and before she knows it, they’re standing in the lobby of the Fantasy Olive Garden. Lup glances around while Barry talks to the hostess, silently taking inventory. She’s been to Olive Garden before, and this one seems to be fairly nice as far as they go. It’s no gourmet kitchen, but Lup wasn’t expecting that, anyway. She hums in approval, then tails after the hostess as she leads them to an empty table in the corner of the restaurant.

“Merle really said that? Oh my  _ god _ ,” she whispered, eyebrows raised in silent awe as she tried to fight a smile. “I can’t believe he’s the one with the weird fetish.”

Barry snorts, raising a hand to cover his grin. “It was so uncomfortable watching him eye over the plants in the greenhouse. The guy’s like my grandfather, but I really don’t need to know that much information about him.”

Lup twirls her fork around in her pasta, chuckling. “That silly old man will never figure out how to be a normal guy, will he?” she muses.

Barry shrugs. “He doesn’t need to be normal. I like him the way he is,” he answers. “How’s Taako doing?”

Lup hums, taking a moment to take a bite of her food. “He’s okay,” she answers. “Work is wearing him thin, though. They’re working him to the bone. Long shifts dealing with annoying, moody teenages, and he has to be on his feet all day. He claims the money is well worth it, but I worry.”

“You always worry.”

“Of course I do, that’s what sisters do,” Lup mumbles into the lip of her water glass, tipping back the last bit of water into her mouth. She sets it back down with a soft sigh and shrugs. “It’s not my job to mom him, and it’s not like I can exactly say no to the money, but…” she trails off, pursing her lips.

“You think he’s working too hard,” Barry finishes for her, and not for the first time, Lup is grateful that Barry can read her so well.

“I just don’t want him to wither away because of stupid money problems,” Lup says. “He deserves a little time off, at least. All he ever does nowadays is work and sleep because work makes him too tired to do much of anything.” She glances up at Barry and sees that he’s staring at her with soft eyes. “Sorry, I don’t mean to be a downer.”

Barry shakes his head with a little smile. “Not at all, I think it’s very sweet how much you and Taako care for each other. I never had any siblings, but the way the two of you take care of each other is very admirable,” he says. “You’re truly amazing.”

It’s Lup’s turn to blush now, and she glances down into her empty water glass. She shrugs modestly. “We’ve always been that way,” she replies softly. “All our lives, it’s just been the two of us. We know each other better than anyone else in the world.”

“What were you like as a kid?” Barry asks suddenly, and Lup glances up, blinking. Barry looks curious, his eyes glinting in a familiarly intuitive way.

Lup hums, and shrugs. “Not much different than now, I guess,” she answers. “A little more rowdy, maybe. More willing to take risks. More naive, you know?” She pauses. “I loved to read. Anything I could get my hands on, I would hoard, like a dragon. It only got worse once I stopped going to school, but libraries were usually content to let Taako and me sit for hours in their big armchairs, just reading.”

Barry laughs. “A dragon’s hoard of literature,” he quips. “That doesn’t sound very ferocious.”

Lup scoffs in faux offense. “Not very ferocious? Please, I’d be the toughest dragon of the bunch. No one would dare to touch any of my books for fear of being roasted on the spot,” she proclaims, a hand on her chest. Just for fun, she extends a hand and blows a hot breeze in Barry’s face, stifling a laugh when he glasses fog up from the steam.

“Very funny,” Barry says, but he’s grinning as he plucks his glasses from his face and wipes the fog off on the hem of his shirt.

Lup raises an eyebrow. “I try my best,” she says, and pops the end of a breadstick into her mouth before leaning back in her seat. They talk and banter with each other for a few hours before deciding they’ve overstayed their welcome. Barry waves down the waitress for their check and quickly pays before following Lup out of the restaurant.

The sun is just beginning to set, casting long, dark shadows across the near-empty road as Lup stretches her arms idly over her head. It’s peacefully quiet, the only noise the steady background chatter of people in the restaurant behind them and the whistling of the wind in the trees. Lup takes a deep breath of the evening air and sighs contentedly.

“You ready to head back?” Barry asks her softly, a little smile on his face as he comes up beside her. Lup leans back on her heels and hums noncommittally, clasping her hands behind her back.

“We could go back, or we could just wander,” she suggests with a devious grin. “Taako won’t be home for another hour or so, so it’s not like I have a reason to leave just yet.”

Barry chuckles and nods. “Is there something else you want to do?” he asks.

Lup hums, pouring over her options for a bit, then smiles. “I know just the place. Follow me!” she exclaims, sliding her hand into his as she tugs him down the street. She feels a surge of smug satisfaction at the way his face reddens at the action, giving his hand a teasing little squeeze. The streets are filled with people heading home for the evening, and the air is filled with their chatter as Lup leads Barry by the hand towards the outskirts of the little town.

It’s darker beyond the town’s boundaries, the sun having sunk behind the horizon long ago, but Lup doesn’t seem to be bothered, nimbly ducking through the trees and leading Barry over tree roots and underneath hanging branches with great care. “Where are we going?” Barry asks as the path leads steadily upward, his breathing coming heavier now that they’ve been walking a while.

Lup seems unbothered by the climb, ever full of energy and stamina. “Just wait, I know what I’m doing,” she answers cryptically. “Trust me, babe, this is gonna be great.” He hums and squeezes her hand to let her know he understands, pushing his glasses up with his free hand. Not that he can really see, anyway, but losing them in the forest would be a pain.

They trek steadily upward for a few more minutes before the forest begins to thin out, opening up into a grassy hilltop. It’s far enough away from town that the city lights don’t pierce the darkness, but the moon shines brightly enough that Barry can make out his surroundings enough to walk. Lup drops his hand with a little giggle and immediately falls into the grass at the center of the clearing, arms and legs splaying out around her. She tilts her chin up to peer at him upside-down, grinning. “Well, what’re ya waiting for? Get down here,” she calls, patting the grass beside her.

Barry blinks and hums in affirmation, carefully picking his way through the grass and sitting down at Lup’s side. “It’s nice up here,” he murmurs. “A little dark, maybe, but it’s pretty.”

“Darkvision really comes in handy when it comes to these sort of things,” Lup agrees. “Anyway, I heard this hill is great for stargazing. I haven’t gotten much of a chance to stargaze since you first taught me about constellations, but I try to get out once in awhile to practice.” She lifts a hand and points to the sky, tracing out constellations with one eye closed. “I bought a couple of books on constellations, so now I can find quite a few.” Dropping her hand, she flashes Barry a smile.

Barry chuckles and lays his head down beside her, his shoulder barely brushing hers. “Care to show off?”

“Always.” Barry laughs once again as Lup’s eye trail over the night sky. “The Big Dipper is supposed to be out tonight… Ah, right there!” Thrusting out a finger again, Lup points to the sky. “There’s Polaris, the north star, and from there you can find the handle of the Little Dipper. The Big Dipper is right across from it, see?”

Barry shifts his head closer to peer up the length of Lup’s arm. “I see it,” he says with a grin. “You really like this, huh?”

Lup shrugs. “It’s fascinating stuff, studying the stars. Ancient wanderers and sailors used the stars to find their way home without the aid of magic or technology,” she says. “When you think about it, it’s really amazing.”

Barry nods. “It was one of the things my mother loved most,” he murmurs. “She’s the one that taught me how to recognize the constellations. She taught me how to navigate by starlight so that if I ever got lost, I could find my way back home.”

Lup falls silent for a few seconds, then asks, “Has Taako ever told you about our family?”

Barry sits up, frowning, and glances down at Lup. “No, he never has.”

Lup sighs softly, a soft, bittersweet smile on her face. “Of course not. My brother’s pretty fickle when it comes to emotional conversations. Most people assume we never had any family, but we did. Sometimes,” she says. Barry doesn’t dare speak, not wanting to shatter this fragile moment. Lup hums. “My parents were mercenaries. They traveled around the world doing jobs for high-paying customers. My mom didn’t plan on getting pregnant, and didn’t care for kids at all, so she gave us up when we were born. We never got a chance to know them or really remember them. We got passed from family to family when we were kids, but no one really wanted us around. Eventually we ended up with our Auntie.”

“You’ve mentioned her before. She taught you both to cook, right?” Barry comments.

Lup nods, smiling, but this smile is wider, sweeter, more fond. “Yeah. She taught us just about everything we know, and the rest we learned from books and experimentation. She wasn’t even really our aunt, technically. She was a friend of a distant relative who was kind enough to take in a couple of rebellious kids, but she was the closest thing to family we had.” Lup pauses, stretching her arms over her head. Her eyes remain fixed to the ceiling, unmoving. “She owned a bakery and a cafe, and she let us use her spare room as our bedroom for a year. I don’t think we would have survived without her help. When she died, there was no one left to pick us up, so the state put us into foster care.” Her smile fades, turning to a sad frown. “The home we lived in was dirty and falling apart, and it was full of malnourished and sick kids. Sometimes, a lucky one would get adopted out of there and rescued, but the rest of us were meant to be trapped there until we were old enough to leave on our own.”

Barry glances away, out into the woods. “You two didn’t wait that long, though, did you?” he asks. “You told me once before that they tried to separate you and Taako. What happened?”

Lup chuckles, as if this was somehow a fond memory. “I guess you could call me one of the lucky ones,” she says. “There was a couple who wasn’t able to have children. They wanted to adopt me and take me back to a neighboring town, but they said Taako was too  _ rowdy _ . They didn’t want him. When they tried to take me with them, Taako bit the man on his hand so hard he had to have more than thirty stitches.” She laughs again, taking a moment to compose herself. “We ran away that night, hopped a caravan to Neverwinter and never looked back.” She takes a content breath, glancing up at where Barry is sitting. He looks somber, a tired sadness on his face, and the sight of it jarrs Lup. “What’s the matter?”

Barry startles a bit, seemingly deep in thought. “Oh, I’m sorry,” he says, casting Lup a timid smile, “I was just thinking that your life must have been tough. Do you tell this story often?”

Lup shakes her head. “No. Only people I really care about get to know these things about me and my brother. He’s the same way. He’ll only tell the story if he’s invested in someone, and even then, it can take a while to break through his barriers,” she replies. “And I think my life was only tough compared to some. I got to travel the world with my brother, learn to cook and do magic, and even if we were always poor and had to watch our backs, it’s not like we knew any better. To us it was just normal.” When she turns to look at Barry again, he’s red-faced. Chuckling, Lup pushes herself into a sitting position. “Don’t go getting all flustered around me now, babe. It’s been, like, six months.”

“I-it’s not that,” Barry deflects quickly. “I was just thinking, I’m the first person you’ve really trusted like this in over a hundred years, right?”

Lup blinks, surprised, and glances away. “Yeah, that’s right.”

Barry swallows, fingers fiddling nervously. “I… I don’t want you guys to feel like you need to hide anymore. You don’t need to be defensive or watch your backs while you’re here, so I thought you should know that you can always rely on me when you need help.” He pauses to take a breath. “You have people that care about you now. Ren and Lucretia, Magnus, Merle… and me, too.”

Lup feels her heart rate jump, and she chuckles instinctively, a nervous laugh that feels fake in her lungs. “Barry, you’re not making any sense,” she says.

She feels a hand clasp over her own on the ground, Barry’s fingers slotting between hers, and she takes a sharp breath. “Lup,” he murmurs, and her name on his lips makes her shiver for reasons she can’t quite catch hold of. She risks a glance upward and finds herself face to face with Barry, who meets her gaze earnestly. Her heart jumps again, and she finds herself irrationally wondering if his heart is behaving the same way. “Lup,” he repeats, “I care about you, more than I care about Magnus, or Merle, or Lucretia. You’re more than just a friend to me, Lup. I-I think I’m in love with you.”

It isn’t the first time Lup’s been confessed to, but it’s the first time she’s heard these words said with as much truth and conviction as Barry’s putting into them. She’s also never felt this sort of warmth at hearing them, and the sensation is simultaneously wonderful and incredibly frightening. She wants to run, to hide, tuck tail and flee like a rabbit at the slightest hint of danger, but she’s rooted in place by a tugging at her heart and at her stomach that wills her to stay. So instead of running, she opens her mouth to speak.

“I think I’m in love with you, too,” she says, and she can’t help the grin that pulls at her lips as she does.

Barry seems stunned, taking a long and shaky breath as his fingers tighten around hers. He leans forward almost automatically, the tip of his nose brushing hers, then pauses, looking unsure. “C-Can I kiss you?” he stutters, and Lup is hit by a sudden wave of affection that warms her to her fingertips.

“God, you’re such a nerd,” she whispers, and tilts her head down to capture Barry’s lips in a rushed kiss. It’s sloppy and awkward, not at all the cinematic, romantic first kiss Lup has always imagined having with a guy she really likes, but she can’t bring herself to care. Even when her nose catches Barry’s glasses and nearly knocks them off his face, all she can do is giggle over how silly he looks as he carefully pulls them off and folds them at his side before tilting her chin up and kissing her once more. They’re both laughing, euphoric and child-like. Barry doesn’t let go of her hand.

 

Lup isn’t sure how long they sit together, leaning close and stealing kisses under the moonlight, talking about anything and everything that comes to mind. It isn’t until Barry starts to nod off, sentences broken by yawns, that Lup declares it’s time to go home and get some rest. They walk slowly, savoring the quiet and peace of the night, and when they reach Lup’s apartment she feels an odd stab of disappointment in her stomach.

“You know, I don’t usually kiss on the first date,” Lup teases as she turns around to face Barry on her doorstep, “but our relationship isn’t really  _ usual _ , is it?” She clasps her hands behind her back coyly, peering down at Barry fondly.

Barry chuckles lightly. “I don’t think anyone can argue over that,” he murmurs. He leans forward almost instinctively, and a grin tugs at the corners of Lup’s mouth. She leans her head down, pressing her forehead against Barry’s and brushing his nose with hers.

“I’ll talk to you soon, ‘kay?” she murmurs.

Barry smiles and tilts his head up to kiss Lup once more, his hands going to her hips to gently squeeze. “Okay,” he agrees when he pulls away reluctantly. “Have a good night, Lup.”

Lup waves Barry goodbye as he leaves the apartment, slipping inside and letting out a long breath, and tries to fight the smile that pulls at her lips. Taako’s going to tease the hell out of me when he finds out, she thinks to herself, but the thought of her brother’s torment isn’t enough to sour her mood in the slightest as she makes her way toward their shared bedroom.

Taako’s sitting in bed when she opens the door, a book cracked open and levitating in front of him while he files his nails idly. He looks up when Lup opens the door and grins, a bookmark floating from the bedside table and saving his space as the book folds itself neatly at the foot of the bed. “Thought I heard you come in. How was the date?” He wiggles his eyebrows as he speaks, taunting her.

Lup tosses her hair over one shoulder, rifling through her dresser for pajamas. “Best date I’ve ever had,” she answers honestly. She feels too giddy to do much about Taako’s teasing or his shit-eating grin, a spring in her step as she goes about her nightly routine. Taako complains as she leaves the details hanging in favor of changing into comfy clothes and brushing her teeth, and once she’s clean and ready for bed she’s prepared for the onslaught of questions Taako inevitably has prepared for her.

“Where did you go for dinner? Was the food good? Did he pay? Did you kiss? Tell me everything,” Taako demands.

Lup sighs, crossing her legs from where she’s sitting at the foot of Taako’s bed. “We went to Olive Garden and had a nice time. The food was fine, I guess, and yes, he did pay. Then we did a little stargazing to kill the time before he walked me back here. And since you’re such a nosy little shit, yes, he did kiss me,” she says, and as much as she wants to be annoyed in the moment, the memory of Barry kissing her lifts her spirits enough that Taako’s wolf whistles only scratch her nerves a little.

“Shut up,” she scolds half-heartedly, then changes the subject. “How was work?”

“Eh, same shitty shift as always, but there was a bright moment,” Taako answers.

“And what was that?”

Taako leans back in bed, clasping his arms behind his head, and the smug smile on his face is disconcerting to Lup. “Remember that super hot doctor from the hospital? The one who was checking on Barry?” he asks. “I saw him again today. He came in looking for dress shirts and we got to talking.”

Lup frowns and blinks, curious. “What did you talk about?”

“He asked me how Barry was doing, is he following his exercise regimen, blah blah blah. I don’t fuckin’ know what Barry’s doing. God, he was so awkward, it was adorable,” Taako rambles, and Lup finds herself grinning as he speaks. “He attuned his stone of farspeech to mine before he left. Seems I made quite an impression.” He grins mischievously, flipping his braid over his shoulder.

“For real? After what you did at the hospital?” Lup balks. “I don’t believe you.”

Taako laughs “You better fuckin’ believe it, sis, because it’s happening. Told you he was into me,” he brags.

Lup groans and steals one of Taako’s pillows to press her face into. “Only you,” she mutters into it, her voice muffled by the soft down stuffing. She drops the pillow into her lap again, leaning her elbows onto it. “Go easy on him, okay? He seems like a nice guy.”

Taako hums. “I’ll do my best,” he says, but Lup suspects he won’t uphold such a promise. She rolls her eyes fondly and slides off the bed, stashing her date clothes in the closet to wash later before sitting down on her own bed to read for a bit.

“Think anything will come of it?” Lup asks softly as she cracks open her book to the marked page.

Taako just shrugs. “I dunno. You know I’m not a “commitment” kind of guy,” he responds. “The less obligations, the better.”

Lup doesn’t respond, just starts to read. She does know, and as much as she wants to tell Taako about how great a relationship can be, about the trust and friendship and fun that comes from it, she knows better. He’ll figure it out in his own time.


End file.
